Dies Irae
by IcyLady
Summary: When strange creatures wreak havoc on a public occasion, the Queen orders her faithful Watchdog to investigate. However, does she have an ulterior motive directing him towards the Black Order? If the exorcists ever find out that Sebastian is a demon…
1. Onstage

**Disclaimer: I don't own -man, Black Butler or any of the characters. I just had this twisted idea and decided to follow through! The title is a title of an awesome composition from Devil Doll, which had originally inspired this story.**

**Warning: It will get violent.**

**Author's note: I'm back! (faster than I thought I would be) Back with a new story and in a new fandom as well! (maybe there's more -man to come from me) I just want to say that this is an "alternate universe" story and I freely take what fits me from the original stories. Hope you don't mind. In a twisted way, this is a sequel to "Let's leave unsaid what's left unspoken", my favourite of my own Black Butler / Harry Potter crossovers. It's not necessary to read it, but if you like HP as well… go and read! ^^**

**Also, favs and reviews make me want to write more, so show me your love ;) Writing stories is ten times funnier when people are reading.**

* * *

**Ch. 1: Onstage**

Sebastian followed his little master obediently, the guidelines for their latest mission echoing in his head. The opening ceremony of a new hospital near the rich, residential area of London had been disturbed by _things_ and the queen has had enough. Consequently, the little Guard Dog and his faithful butler were sent out in order to find the source of disturbance and remove it. They were accompanied by a guide who was supposed to know how to find a temporary hideout of the persons blamed for the appearance of the _things_.

Surprisingly, this time, Queen Victoria had a very precise guess as to who was to blame for the disturbance: the Black Order. Sebastian had heard about them and had no idea why the order of the pope would take headquarters in England. The Church of England and the Black Order lived in uneasy peace and it seemed that finally the Queen had found an excuse to remove the offending organisation.

'Is it far still?' Ciel asked irritably. Their guide had insisted that they stop the carriage and walk the last distance. They have listened to him and left the carriage close to the hospital to venture on foot into the less privileged districts that stretched nearby. Walking presented more risks, but Sebastian was sure that he could notice them on time and, in any case, it was late evening and the streets were almost abandoned.

'We're soon there my lord,' the guide said, bowing even as he walked. 'Carriages are not common in this part of the city and my lord doesn't want to draw attention to himself until we reach the exorcists.' Indeed, the clink-clacking of horse shoes on the pavement would doubtlessly alert many to the presence of the elegant and expensive carriage.

'Exorcists,' Ciel muttered under his breath, not even trying to hide his disdain for the title or his disbelief. 'It better not be some stupid game,' he threatened darkly. Sebastian hid a smile, taking a faster step to lean to Ciel's ear. His little master was so ignorant sometimes, but this mission should prove a nice change from the monotony of every day.

'My lord didn't want to believe in magic either,' he pointed out, quietly enough so that their guide wouldn't hear. The single blue eye glared at him coldly and Sebastian forced himself not to smirk. Their adventure in the future had been quite an interesting lesson. Not to mention that Sebastian managed to get a lot of knowledge about the future and already knew whom he would tempt into becoming his new meal, after the deal with the little Phantomhive was complete.

'I told you to never mention that in public,' the little lord hissed. Their guide looked interested but kept a polite distance: the reputation of Earl Phantomhive preceded him and nobody wanted to get on his bad side.

Sebastian bowed and slowed down by half a step, to follow his little master. The guide whispered that they were coming closer to the hiding place and led them to a completely deserted alley, saying that they were almost there.

Just as they entered the alley, Sebastian noticed movement in the corner of his eye and sensed a potential danger. He turned to face it. He barely had the time to register three figures, two Europeans and a Japanese, when the white-haired teenaged exclaimed "demon", pointing straight at Sebastian.

In the time that it took Ciel to gasp, Sebastian had to dodge a sword that swished past him, nearly cutting the tips of his hair as he moved away. Turning to face his opponent, he barely managed to duck the second blow and a nasty smile twisted his lips. It has been a while since he stretched his muscles.

Razor sharp kitchen knives appeared in his hands and Sebastian took a swipe at the attacker, but the Japanese man twisted away gracefully. With the corner of his eye, Sebastian noticed the other two running up, shouting something. However, he paid them no more attention, focusing on the one who was attacking him again and also ignoring his companions.

With inhuman grace, Sebastian dodged the long blade and replied with an attack of his own, surprised yet again when his knives cut through air. Was he going to have to put an actual effort in this duel? This was such an amusing thought that he would have laughed if the sword, no, the katana, wasn't swishing at him again, cutting through the air fluidly. That was some determined man he was facing, he thought.

Smiling, because he knew that no mortal could stand a chance against him, Sebastian picked up the speed a notch. His knives slashed the sword arm of his opponent, before he slowed down again, to allow the man to strike back. He liked to play with his victims and he was going to enjoy this one for sure.

The Japanese man managed to block his second attack, even with Sebastian's somewhat increased speed, and for a split of a second, Sebastian could look into the dark eyes, filled with anger. A fleeting thought that there was something wrong about the man crossed his mind, but there was no time to dwell on it. Laughing he dodged an attack after attack, occasionally slashing at his opponent. He was impressed that the man didn't show any signs of suffering from blood loss or even pain. He was even more impressed when the katana nicked his arm. It barely cut his flawless skin, but it was still more than anybody had managed in a long time.

'Sebastian,' he heard behind him and sighed as he dodged another blow. His master was bored of the show. He stepped away from the Japanese man and bowed mockingly.

'You must forgive me, but my master is calling,' he said. The man opposite to him growled and launched an attack that was so fast Sebastian almost didn't see him move. Still, the demon was faster as he dodged the weapon easily and allowed the three knives he held in his right hand to deeply cut through the neck of the man.

Bright red blood erupted from the cuts, with a characteristic gurgling kind of sound and Sebastian moved away to not ruin his clothes. He smirked as the lifeless body hit the pavement with a dull thud. He wasted no time on the other two, ostensibly showing how utterly unafraid he was, by turning to his little master and bowing deeply.

'Forgive me, my lord,' he said, masking his smile as he straightened up. He vaguely heard something about stopping behind him and mistakes. 'It seems that those streets are not as safe as we would like to think,' he added. Ciel only glared at him, so Sebastian turned to their guide, who was looking at him, obviously terrified. 'Shall we continue?' he asked, well aware of a strange kind of gasp just behind him.

'No, Kanda stop-' yelled the same voice that had previously accused Sebastian of being a demon. In the exact same moment the guide whimpered and Ciel's eyes widened. Sebastian was about to turn around, but sudden, burning pain froze him on the spot.

'I'm not done yet,' hissed a voice behind him, distorted by a foreign accent and sounding as thought something was wrong with the vocal chords of the speaker. Sebastian glanced down at the katana sticking out of his abdomen. He was about to comment mockingly on the fact that the blade seemed to be trembling and the voice behind him was weak, but then he realised something: it wasn't a normal blade.

In a sudden flash of what would be panic if Sebastian wasn't a powerful demon, he thought that this was a bit like Undertaker's scythe. In the split of a second that it took him to decide on further action, however, the blade was gone. The guide rushed to support him as he wobbled unsteadily and his internal not-panic-at-all grew.

Sebastian glanced at Ciel's shocked and horrified expression, gratefully accepting the help of the guide and turning to face the other trio.

'Would you ever listen when I say stop?' the white-haired teenager, who had previously identified Sebastian as a demon, was shouting at the Japanese man who, now that Sebastian had the time to look, didn't seem to be that much older. All but covered in his own blood, he was being held back, or maybe supported to not fall. It was hard to tell because he was struggling somewhat, even when he looked ready to fall over. The third man, the one firmly holding the Japanese, was a well built, tanned person who looked to be close to thirty. Immediately, Sebastian realised that the man was blind.

'Shut up,' the Japanese man growled. There was no trace of damaged vocal chords in his voice anymore. 'Why would I stop?'

'Because I made a mistake,' the white-haired kid all but howled, anger evident in his voice. 'You almost killed an innocent man, Kanda!'

'Why did your eye activate?' the tallest of them asked calmly, his voice also carrying a foreign accent. Sebastian chose that moment to clear his throat and all the attention was at him. The white-haired kid, introducing himself as Allen, started to apologise immediately for his friend's behaviour and inviting Sebastian and his companions to join them, so that Sebastian's wound could be tended to.

The demon couldn't help but wonder how that kid could be apologising to a person who had, quite literally, killed his friend. He was sure that the wound to the neck had been fatal and death, while not immediate, would come quick with the blood loss. Not that the friend seemed to be worse of wear for that fact, Sebastian noted, hearing how the Japanese man insisted that he could stand and walk on his own. The tall one let him go and wordlessly steadied him a moment later as he almost fell.

'I'm very sorry for calling you a demon,' Allen said finally. Sebastian fought down the smirk at that comment. Behind him, the Japanese man, whose name was most obviously Kanda, sheathed his katana, glaring at the white-haired one murderously. 'Please, will you accompany us? Our place is not far from here,' he added.

'We have no choice,' Ciel said coldly, making the white-haired kid jump. So his little master also caught up on the fact that those were probably the men they had been looking for? 'Your companion has seriously wounded my butler,' Ciel added, not sounding worried at all. Trust the earl to be a disastrous actor, Sebastian thought, hiding his smile. However, acting skills didn't seem necessary with the distressed teenager and Allen glared at the man who had been previously murdered by the said butler.

'One day you will think before you act,' he spat angrily.

'I could say the same thing about you, beansprout,' the Japanese replied without missing a beat, his tone cold and disdainful. 'You said he was a demon.'

'And then I yelled for you to stop,' Allen countered, fully turning to the man. With some surprise, Sebastian noted that the hand of the Japanese was back on the hilt of his katana, his eyes glaring with murderous intent. Humans never ceased to amuse him.

'I have no pity for demons, beansprout,' he replied in a threatening kind of tone.

'Don't call me beansprout, you-'

'Shall we go before you two get into another argument?' the third man interjected smoothly, turning to Sebastian, Ciel and their guide with an amazing precision for a blind person. 'Please follow us. Since Kanda insists on walking, would you like that I carry your butler?' he asked Ciel directly.

Sebastian was mortified at the very idea of being carried by a mortal, but Ciel gave him no choice on that matter and almost immediately Sebastian found himself lifted up bridal style. Although he would never admit that the wound was bothering him more than it should, carried, he could engrave every detail into his memory.


	2. Cruelly

**No reviews? =(  
**

* * *

**Ch. 2: Cruelly**

Before they set out, the Japanese man took out a small ball with wings and whispered a couple of words to it, letting it fly away subsequently. Warning his comrades in wherever it was that they were going? Without a word or even a glance at anybody, he turned and started walking in the direction in which Sebastian, Ciel and their guide were originally heading.

The guide looked between the one walking away and the white-haired teenager, who seemed much more approachable. The white-haired teenager sighed and turned to follow his comrade, walking close to Ciel, as though for protection. Sebastian smirked, wishing that he could tease his little master about being cute and tiny and inspiring protective instincts even in complete strangers. Fondly, he imagined the reaction that would get. He was sure that his little master and the Japanese could compete for the most unfriendly expression and, probably for the first time, he wasn't sure that his master would win such a competition.

The man carrying him walked slowly and it took Sebastian a couple of minutes to realise that it was not because of the burden he was carrying, but for the sake of his wounded companion. The Japanese walked ahead and Sebastian didn't fail to notice that he used the wall as support a couple of times, each time causing Sebastian some satisfaction. One time that it happened, the tall man carrying Sebastian sighed.

'He's too stubborn for his own good,' he muttered and it took Sebastian a moment to realise that the man had heard the small stumble. He narrowed his eyes and studied carefully the man that he had previously dismissed.

The man was dressed in the same kind of uniform as the other two, whom Sebastian had strongly suspected to be the infamous exorcists. However, that meant that either he was wrong or the tall man was not at all hindered by the lack of sight. Sebastian himself could of course fight blindfolded, just listening to the moves of his opponents, but it wasn't often that humans possessed that ability to the point of not needing their eyes at all.

'So hey kid,' the white-haired teenager said casually. Sebastian glanced to see him smiling at Ciel. 'You must be the heir of a noble to walk around with a butler, no? Although I'm not sure what nobles would do in such a place.'

'My master is the Earl of Phantomhive,' Sebastian said smoothly, knowing that Ciel had no intention to answer such a rude, in his opinion, question. Revealing the identity of his little master didn't seem to be a problem, since he fully expected to kill all the people in the Black Order by the time the sun would rise.

'Earl of Phantomhive,' Allen repeated thoughtfully. 'So you're the Queen's Watchdog, aren't you? I kind of imagined you to be older,' he added. Sebastian could feel Ciel's fury rising, but the white-haired teenager seemed oblivious. 'Then of course I shouldn't be the one to talk, since I'm only fifteen myself. But if Kanda calls me "beansprout" I wonder what he will call you.'

'Earl Phantomhive, if he values his life,' Ciel answered coldly and Allen laughed after a moment of shock. Then he said that Kanda didn't value his life and the conversation died, allowing Sebastian to study the teenager in peace.

On the outside, that person who called himself Allen and smiled easily seemed to be peaceful and happy. However, Sebastian could focus on his soul and feel the delightful torment that twisted it even in that moment. It was unlike his little master's exquisite soul, but Sebastian knew that he would enjoy eating that one as well. It was filled with guilt and regret with just the right amount of hope to not be overly sweet.

He idly wondered what could have happened to that teenager to cause his soul to be like that, but ultimately it was unimportant. After what had happened to his little master and what he knew about humanity, Sebastian didn't find too many things unbelievable. He just had to remember to pause for a moment in the battle to come and, rather than simply killing the teenager, eat his soul first. He was sure that nobody would notice and he would sate his hunger for some time and would be able to further work on the exquisite soul of his little master.

Satisfied, he turned his attention to the soul of the big man carrying him, only to discover that it was a pretty standard soul of a soldier. It had the same scent as Bard's, indicating that the man had lost companions in battle, but, unlike Bard's, it didn't smell of surrender but of a grim kind of wilfulness. Something had given that man the strength to continue and Sebastian wished that he had the time to psychologically dissect the man to see what made him tick.

Unfortunately, that would take too long and he fully expected that his little master would ask him to dispose of the exorcists as soon as he ascertained himself of their guilt. Mentally, Sebastian probed his wound, that wasn't healing yet. He wasn't afraid to fail. He was, after all, one of the most powerful demons out there. However, the very fact that it wasn't healing was bothering him. What could have been in the blade that cut him, if the wielder was most certainly not a Death God or an Angel?

He glared at the said wielder distastefully, again thrown off balance by the feeling of weirdness. The soul residing in that body was so overflowing with hate and anger that it almost repulsed Sebastian physically and yet that was not the biggest problem. Inexplicably, the soul quite literally smelled of lotus flowers, completely killing Sebastian's appetite. Even the tiny scent of guilt and pain, repressed by the overpowering hate, didn't do anything to save the soul's taste in Sebastian's opinion.

What was the worst, however, was that the soul felt distorted in a way that Sebastian had never encountered and could not explain. He didn't like it when he couldn't explain things, but this time it was even difficult to describe the distortion. It was almost as though the soul wasn't there, even though Sebastian could clearly feel it. Could it have something to do with the power of that blade?

'Ah, we're finally there,' Allen's voice snapped Sebastian out of his musings. 'I hope you're holding on mister butler. Soon you'll be all treated and on the mend,' he added cheerfully and Sebastian hid a smirk. That man was worried about the person who would kill him.

Burying his thoughts, he looked at the door that the Japanese man was just opening. It was a regular door to an unimpressive town house, yet as soon as it was open, a woman in a similar uniform sprang out. She greeted the Japanese with worried words, but he brushed her off rudely and entered. Sebastian was too preoccupied to memorise their conversation, because he finally realised who those people were.

The Black Order, he scolded himself, of course that name had sounded familiar! Didn't he hear about them endlessly from his little brother? His stupid, little brother who ate souls by tens and hundreds whenever he could, his stupid little brother who actively fought against the humanity – he always talked about the exorcists of the Black Order and their "innocence". Of course Sebastian had never listened quite carefully, because it was his stupid, little brother speaking and Sebastian ignored the warnings.

Suddenly the power of the blade made sense and Sebastian physically shuddered at the thought of having to admit to his brother that he had been right.

'Are you alright mister butler?' the man holding him asked worriedly.

'Please, call me Sebastian,' he replied. He would kill all of them but one and put him as a bait for his brother to find out what power truly was. He would make sure that his brother knew that, what he had been fighting for centuries, Sebastian had defeated in one night. He just had to watch out for the deadly katana and its distorted wielder. Come to think of it, maybe leaving that particular exorcist as a bait would be the best choice? There would be the tiniest of chances that the Japanese man would remove his damned, little brother permanently.

'Everybody calls me Marie,' the man replied and Sebastian nodded in acknowledgement, plans forming in his head. The young master didn't need to know that Sebastian had his own reasons for doing the Queen's biding.

Their conversation was forced to a halt as Allen rushed Marie inside and explained to the girl that Sebastian was Kanda's victim. A moment of chaos followed until somebody new spoke up.

'He was hurt by the Innocence?' the voice asked calmly, creating a stunned silence. Sebastian glanced at the red-haired man with an eye patch over his right eye and the same uniform as the others. He must have been the one who'd spoken, because there was nobody else in the building. Or, Sebastian corrected himself, he could feel no more souls, just the four in the room, the distorted one upstairs, his little master and the poor, terrified guide.

'Maybe Kanda didn't activate it?' the girl suggested. Allen added that it could be possible, that Kanda had heard Allen saying the man was no demon, but was too upset to have been bested by a mere human. Again, Sebastian needed to hide his amusement, both at the misconception and at the intricacies of human nature.

'What the hell are you going on about?' Ciel gritted out furiously. Whether it was real or pretended Sebastian didn't know, but it did the trick. The girl immediately threw herself towards medical supplies, while Marie gently placed Sebastian on the sofa.

'I'll go check up on Kanda,' he muttered and Sebastian got the impression that everybody else was relieved. The girl helped him out of his clothes, while Allen invited Ciel and the guide to sit at the table and offered to prepare some tea.

'My name is Lenalee,' the girl said, quickly working on cleaning the wound on his abdomen. 'The red-head is Lavi and I suppose you know the others already,' she added. Sebastian nodded and introduced himself, his lord and the guide, thankful that he took the moment to memorise the man's name.

'What is the Queen's Watchdog doing here?' Lavi asked neutrally, even though the gaze he settled on Ciel was full of suspicion. Sebastian wished that there was a way for him to communicate with the earl without being overheard. Then again, it didn't matter much, because Sebastian could, in any moment, rise and kill everybody. Queen's orders be damned, he was going to do it anyway, whether or not those people were guilty.

'Am I to assume that you are the Black Order?' Ciel asked the red-head instead of answering. The three exorcists exchanged glances. The girl, Lenalee, moved to clean the other side of the wound, on Sebastian's back. If she bandaged it carefully, it would be easier to kill them, he thought with some satisfaction.

'Of course, it is only natural that the Queen's Watchdog knows more than regular people,' the red-head muttered finally and it seemed to be the cue for Allen to confirm that they were indeed a part of the Black Order. Sebastian didn't miss the "part" bit and he cursed inwardly, wondering if there was a way to gain access to the rest quickly. Ciel glared at the guide, who immediately started excusing himself, saying that this was where the Queen thought the guilty people were.

'Guilty?' Allen and Lavi repeated at the same time. The girl paused in her methodological cleaning of the wound. Sebastian felt more than heard Marie joining them in the room, while the last of them stayed upstairs. It was inconvenient, because he would have a forewarning, but then, Sebastian wasn't sure anymore if he could just erase those five here. Or rather he knew that he couldn't, if he wanted to spite his brother.

'Three days ago, a new hospital was inaugurated,' Ciel said calmly. Sebastian didn't miss the way Allen and Lavi winced. They obviously knew what Ciel was going to talk about and they didn't like the topic. With a sigh, Lenalee went about bandaging Sebastian's abdomen tightly.

'And the Queen is worried about the,' Lavi hesitated. 'Things that appeared?' he finished the question with another wince. Ciel nodded curtly and said that there had been many killed. Allen looked away and Sebastian could have sworn that he was about to cry. Were those people not behind the attack?

Lenalee finished with the bandages and told him to lay back and rest while she went to the kitchen and cooked. Sebastian, not wanting to appear suspicious, complied with her order, his eyes never leaving the people sitting at the table.

'Tell me, Watchdog,' Lavi started, looking at Ciel defiantly. 'What do you know about demons?'


	3. Every shelter: a trap

**Thank you "guest" for the review and thanks for the favs! The greedy me wants more XD (favs and reviews) As a bribe I give you the next chapter!**

* * *

**Ch. 3: Every shelter: a trap**

'Demons,' Ciel deadpanned. Sebastian dearly wished that he could see the boy's expression, but his little master was facing away from him. Lavi nodded.

'Those things,' Allen spoke up. 'They were demons,' he added. Ciel twitched. Sebastian held his breath, waiting for his young master to absolutely not turn towards him. Together with their earlier suspicions about the blade and the wound, that would be disastrous, should those people really be living to fight demons.

Not that Sebastian wanted to believe that a bunch of mortals, or sort of mortals, he amended, remembering the wielder of the deadly sword, could fight demons. Then again, the report from the inauguration was clear: things appeared and then some people started fighting them and the things eventually burst into dust. Somebody did remove the creatures, which were described as "surpassing human imagination".

'There are no such things as demons,' Ciel grit out furiously after the longest moment of silence that Sebastian ever had to endure since becoming the butler. The exorcists seemed to be expecting that answer. They patiently explained about the Millennium Earl and his demon minions. The guide looked to be more and more out of his depth and Sebastian enjoyed his discomfort as he listened to the other side of the story.

His brother had told him about the annoying humans who killed the minor demons that he managed to create. Those people talked about the souls of people crying for release. His brother had laughed and described all the imaginable tastes. Allen looked ready to cry when he said that he could see the imprisoned souls and that it was how he was identifying demons. Interesting as it was, it didn't explain why he had thought that Sebastian was a demon, because Sebastian was sure that there was no soul attached to his body. He was born a demon in the deepest pits of hell, very much like his younger brother and a few others.

Finally Ciel turned to Sebastian with a furious expression burning in his only visible eye. The demon winced internally, having expected this kind of reaction sooner or later. His little master didn't like it when things surprised him.

'Did you know about it Sebastian?' he asked icily. 'Did you know about those people and you didn't tell me about them before we set out?' he asked, standing up from the chair and walking up to the sofa, on which Sebastian was pretending to be resting.

'Hey kid,' Allen jumped up and reached out for Ciel, but the warning, furious glare stopped him dead in his tracks. The white-haired teenaged backed up a step, raising his arms in a gesture of surrender. 'Uh, Lavi, do you think that he could be related to Kanda?' he asked.

'You know very well that there's not a chance,' Lavi replied, something in his tone spiking up Sebastian's curiosity. Humans were so interesting with their petty secrets and even now, in the face of potential danger, Sebastian wished that he had the time to psychologically dissect them. 'Besides really, would you like a little Kanda around as well?' Lavi asked in another tone, glancing at Sebastian with some sort of suspicion on his face. The demon wondered if his control over his expression had slipped for a moment. He couldn't really afford to let those people grow suspicious until he knew how to handle them.

'Are you calling me little?' Ciel all but hissed at the red-head. Sebastian chuckled under his breath and then froze when the blind man turned his head his way. Could Marie have heard the chuckle that was too quiet even for Ciel, who was much closer to Sebastian? It could have been a coincident, but it required further investigation, he decided.

'Well, you kind of are small,' Lavi stuttered. Sebastian could see that Ciel was on the verge of ordering Sebastian to obliterate the red-head. Thankfully, Lenalee took that moment to call out from the kitchen, asking for help to bring the food to the table. Relieved, Lavi and Allen excused themselves and rushed out.

'My lord,' Sebastian called quietly, hoping to not get too much attention. Ciel glared at him: he was obviously not forgiven yet. 'Could you please help me get to the table?' he asked. Rage blazed in Ciel's eye for a moment, before the little lord seemed to realise that Sebastian simply wanted to talk with him. He complied without a word.

'We should be very careful here, my lord,' he whispered when Ciel "helped" him to get up. With the corner of his eye, he noticed that the blind man was listening and he mentally cursed the Queen. 'It seems, my lord, that the Queen has finally found a way to dispose of us,' he whispered even quieter, hoping that Ciel would hear.

'The Queen?' Ciel replied incredulously. Sebastian sighed. Was it the time to tell the boy who was behind the deaths of his parents? He had known since the beginning of course, but Ciel was too interesting a master to spoil the fun and the missions from the Queen spiced his soul to the levels of perfection that Sebastian never dared to dream about.

'Indeed, my lord,' he muttered. Before he could add anything else, or even decide if he dared, with the blind man listening closely, he realised that the distorted soul was in the room. He looked up right on time to see Kanda glance from Marie to Sebastian, eyes hardening into a cold glare, hand reaching towards the hilt of the katana that was still strapped to his waist. The demon had no doubts as to whom the Japanese would trust.

Again, Sebastian cursed the Queen.

'Ah, Kanda, you're down,' Allen said, walking in with two big plates, filled with food. For a moment he looked like he was going to add something else, but then he seemed to have changed his mind.

'Why are they still here?' Kanda asked coldly, when it became apparent that Allen wasn't going to speak. The latter put the dishes on the table and frowned. Lavi came in from the kitchen.

'You!' he exclaimed. Or at least that was what Sebastian heard, but he must have been wrong, because Kanda glared at the red-head murderously. 'Ah, you're always in such a foul mood when you lose,' the red-head added and it didn't seem to be helping his case with Kanda.

'I didn't lose,' the Japanese replied through gritted teeth. 'I was stopped,' he added. Sebastian took the opportunity that the attention was away from himself to take a careful look at his opponent. He had no doubt that the black, sleeveless turtleneck that the man was wearing had for purpose hiding the thick bandages around the man's neck, but it also exposed both of his arms and, suspiciously enough, there was only one minor cut visible. Sebastian was sure that he had gotten his knives to slash those arms at least five times and at least once deeply.

'Now that I think about it,' Lavi started, as though the previous exchange didn't happen. 'Did you have your Innocence activated?' he asked. Sebastian felt the feeling in the room change as all the exorcists present looked at Kanda tersely.

'Of course I had it activated,' the Japanese growled out and a cold chill ran down Sebastian's spine. He didn't forget the small conversation about what the innocence could and couldn't harm. He readied himself for an attack, mentally calculating the moves he would have to make to get out of the place alive, with his little master unscratched. However, before anybody could move, Kanda shot him a resentful glare.

'It deactivated when Marie grabbed me,' he said. 'Before he pulled me away,' he added and Sebastian could feel the relief in Allen's and Lavi's souls as both smiled and went back to the kitchen to pick up more big plates, full of food. Unsurprisingly, Kanda didn't seem to be bothered by unintentionally causing pain to an innocent "human being".

'Well then it seems like your injury is my fault, Sebastian,' Marie spoke calmly, with just a tinge of sadness in his voice. Kanda glanced at him but said nothing. 'Please forgive me,' he added.

'I have caused injuries to your friend,' Sebastian replied smoothly, sparing another glance at Kanda's neck. 'Please forgive me for that as well,' he added, noticing that nobody in the room seemed to be overly worried about the said friend. Either they didn't care or they knew that whatever the wounds were, they wouldn't be too serious. He itched to know the secret.

'Please take your seats everybody,' Lenalee exclaimed, carrying in even more food. 'Kanda! You can't think to eat with your sword,' she added.

'Is that any different from normal?' Allen asked with resignation. 'He always makes it feel like we're on duty.'

'We are on duty,' Kanda pointed out dryly. 'I don't see that stupid rabbit putting away his weapon,' he added. Allen muttered something about Lavi being less obvious about it, while Lenalee sighed and repeated the invitation to sit at the table, smiling at Ciel and Sebastian. The demon shuddered as he realised that he was going to have to eat some of the disgusting, human food. Distastefully, he glanced at the table that was almost bending under the feast, as Ciel led him to the table and helped him sit.

'My lord, would you forgive me for eating in your presence?' he asked, hoping that Ciel would not agree and he would be spared the unpleasant experience. However, Ciel's lips twisted into a nasty smile for just a split of a second.

'Of course Sebastian. What kind of master would I be if I didn't let my heavily wounded butler restore his strength?' he asked back as though he was amazed by the very possibility. Sebastian was sure that only he noticed the malicious gleam in his eye.

A heavy kind of silence fell in the room afterwards as everybody found their chairs. The exorcists seemed to be determined to keep their guests as far away from Kanda as possible, or to keep together in case they were attacked. Sebastian found himself sitting opposite to the Japanese who ignored everybody and everything, except for a noodle based dish, which he put on his plate. It didn't escape the demon's attention that, while the others liberally chose what to eat, nobody even glanced at the relatively small plate of noodles.

Well, since I am forced to eat those disgusting things I can at least have some fun, Sebastian thought. Without hesitation, he reached out for the noodles and had to forcefully restrain laughter when their hosts froze in barely contained terror. Kanda glared at Sebastian, dark eyes promising bloody murder, but said nothing for the moment, so he moved to continue with his action.

'Sebastian,' Ciel growled. Pouting ever so slightly, Sebastian left the noodles alone and glanced at his master, whose glare could compete with that of Kanda's. 'Eat something else,' the little lord said, his tone clearly indicating that it was neither a suggestion nor a request. Their hosts relaxed again and Kanda went back to ignoring everybody.

'Yes my lord,' Sebastian replied with a nod and grabbed the first dish that he saw, putting a tiny portion of food on his plate. He knew that Ciel didn't care about the Japanese, but wanted to avoid any unpleasant situations and get out of the trap as fast as possible.

He put a small piece of meat on the fork and ate it, doing his best to ignore the taste of ashes in his mouth. Really, for a demon to stoop down as low as to eat human food! To make things worse, he was acutely aware of Ciel's attention on him, as though the infuriating boy was waiting to see Sebastian's displeasure. In the meantime, Lavi and Lenalee restarted their discussion about the cook that had apparently pre-prepared the food. They tried to pull Marie and Kanda into the discussion, but didn't have too much luck with the latter. Allen kept eating and eating, finishing off dish by dish. Sebastian was thoroughly impressed and he noticed Ciel very carefully trying not to stare, while their guide gave up all the pretence.

'You eat a lot, sir,' he said with some awe in his voice. Those were his first words since they have met with the exorcists and Sebastian wondered if the man was part of the plot or just an innocent guide who had no idea what the Queen was planning.

'Everybody says that,' Allen said with a huge grin. Kanda scoffed. 'It's because of my Innocence,' he added cheerfully, heaping more food on his plate. Sebastian felt his blood run cold, figuratively of course. He didn't see any weapon on the white-haired teenager, but neither did he see anything on the red-head, whom Kanda claimed to be armed. Were they all really armed with something that could hurt a demon?

Nobody seemed eager to continue the topic. Eventually, the food was gone and everybody looked happier than before. Well, most of them, Sebastian amended, glancing at his little master and at Kanda. While in the case of the first one, it could probably be explained by the lack of appropriate dessert, Sebastian started to believe that foul mood was Kanda's default state. He watched as the Japanese got up from the table.

'We're moving tomorrow,' he announced coldly, provoking groans from Lavi, Allen and Lenalee and a disappointed sigh from Marie. He glared at all them, as though he dared them to say anything.

'We've just made this place homey,' Lenalee complained.

'If they haven't brought intruders in, you could have your homey place,' Kanda replied in a tone that suggested he didn't understand the adjective.

'That's unfair, Kanda!' Allen exclaimed. 'We only brought them here because you injured one of them. We could hardly let Sebastian bleed out to death.'

'And why is that?' Kanda asked. Sebastian had no doubt that the Japanese man was not bluffing. He would have left Sebastian in the alley. 'Besides, it's your fault that all this happened, beansprout.'

'How is that my fault, BaKanda?' Allen yelled, outraged. 'I told you to stop.'

'You told me it was a demon,' Kanda growled back. By the expressions on the faces of the other three exorcists, Sebastian guessed that it wasn't an unusual occurrence that those two fought.

'My eye was wrong!' Allen defended himself.

'Well if your eye is wrong then we have no choice but to act like everybody else,' Kanda pointed out venomously. 'And that means trusting nobody,' he added, not seeming bothered by that in the slightest. Allen, on the other hand, looked crestfallen, like his long-time effort was crumbling at his feet.

'Besides,' Kanda broke the uncomfortable silence that had followed his previous statement. 'We have caught them on the way here. Have they already explained that away?'

Suddenly, Sebastian realized that he would have to choose: destroy the Order, to spite his brother, or not, to spite the Queen. Whom did he hate more? It was a difficult question to answer.


	4. Unveiling

**Ch. 4: Unveiling**

Back in the manor, Sebastian glanced at his fuming little lord. Fighting to hide his smile, he remembered the previous evening in the town house belonging to the Black Order.

Kanda hadn't been overly impressed with the story about the Queen's Watchdog. He had listened, looking to be at the end of his patience, and then he had all but thrown the guide out to find a carriage for the "midget lord", as he had so elegantly put it.

Sebastian almost chuckled as he remembered the reaction that statement had gotten. If looks could kill, Kanda would have been incinerated just then by the furious earl of Phantomhive while the other exorcists shared resigned glances. Before Kanda had to repeat his "request" or Sebastian to restrain Ciel, however, the guide had run out of the town house to find the carriage, breaking the mood somewhat as he had nearly missed the door in his haste.

The guide had only managed to arrive with a carriage at dawn, by which time Sebastian had been more than ready to leave. He had even been contemplating just walking out of the building into the night, Ciel in tow, whether the little lording wanted it or not. Although on the surface, the exorcists had been pretty kind throughout the night, minus Kanda, Sebastian hadn't appreciated the company of possibly deadly tools that they wielded. Neither had it escaped his attention that they hadn't been left alone for a single moment, even as they had been packing with disheartened expressions. No further questions had been answered as long as they had pertained in any way to innocence or the Black Order.

'Will you finally answer my question?' Ciel asked after what seemed like an eternity of tense silence, rage barely contained in his voice. Sebastian snapped out of his thoughts and bowed slightly, asking what his lord wanted. 'Did you know about those people before we went there?' Ciel gritted out through clenched teeth.

'I knew they existed, my lord,' the demon answered calmly, ignoring Ciel's fury at the answer. 'I have heard about an order that fights demons, although I have expected their fight to be far less literal,' he added.

'You couldn't have seriously expected some crazed priests saying that they will exorcise demons from humans,' Ciel growled. Sebastian almost laughed at the image, but, seeing the humour of his master, he restrained himself.

'I wish I had realised the danger before we blindly followed the Queen's guide,' he said, half to himself, again speaking the truth. He had expected the encounter to be more amusing than it had been, even if the Black Order wouldn't be composed of half-crazed priests.

'Are you trying to tell me that they really could have killed you?' Ciel asked, sounding disturbed, his anger gone in a blink of an eye. Wondering if the boy was worried for himself or for his butler, Sebastian hid his smile and said that he wouldn't go that far in his assumptions. 'Explain yourself, demon,' Ciel ordered, all worry gone from his cold tone. Sebastian bowed.

'The creatures that disturbed the Queen were most probably creations of my younger brother,' he said calmly, enjoying the incredulous look his little master was giving him. At least his stupid, little brother was good for something, even if it was as little as provoking the hilarious expression. There wasn't a lot that surprised his little master anymore, especially after the living corpses of the Undertaker.

'Your younger brother,' Ciel repeated slowly and the demon inclined his head. 'You have a family?' he asked, sounding as though it had never occurred to him that a demon could have anything other than the souls it was eating. Sebastian contemplated the question for a moment.

'Not in the human sense of the word, but it is the closest description that I can give you,' he said calmly. 'In any case, my idiot brother likes to call himself the Millennium Earl and bother humanity by creating demons out of despairing souls,' he added disdainfully, watching expressions changing on his master's face. The boy repeated the last six words and Sebastian smirked, thinking back to the desperate boy he had met a couple of years ago.

'Indeed, my lord, but my brother reacts to a different kind of despair,' he said, replying to the thoughts he had seen reflected in Ciel's big, blue eye. 'He aims for those who don't want to fight. My lord should be happy, for the demons my brother creates are weaklings,' he added with the smirk still on his lips. 'Consequently, the fact that those people are able to destroy my brother's demons is not necessarily a threat to me.'

'Not necessarily but it is possibly a threat?' the boy asked and, resentfully, Sebastian inclined his head, knowing that he couldn't lie. 'I see,' Ciel muttered. 'So you are saying that it is your brother who is the culprit behind the Queen's worries?' he asked, changing the subject. Sebastian knew where this was going, but he nodded anyway, unable to lie. Was his little master going to order him to kill his brother? Not that he had any brotherly feelings towards the little brat, but it could present problems, should somebody get the wind of it. The only question was: would getting rid of the annoying pest be worth the trouble?

Ciel looked away, thinking. He stayed quiet for a long while and Sebastian waited patiently, letting his own thoughts amuse him until the boy took a decision. He wondered if he would still be ordered to eradicate the Black Order and if not, would he do it anyway. Even though it would be something the Queen could appreciate, Sebastian didn't doubt that getting rid of that particular danger would benefit him as well. Not to mention that the exorcists could provide him amusement in the slow time that Ciel seemed to have hit recently.

'How sure are you about that?' the boy asked finally. Sebastian hid a smirk and answered that he was certain. 'I see,' Ciel muttered. 'And yet the Queen had directed us towards the people who were most obviously fighting those creatures,' he added. His tone told Sebastian that the boy hadn't yet forgiven him for not mentioning his knowledge about the Black Order earlier.

'It seems to be the case,' Sebastian agreed neutrally, ignoring the unspoken complaint until the boy outright claimed his excuses. Being the boy's sword and shield was one thing, having some fun while doing it was another and it was certainly amusing when the child scoffed.

'You seem to be convinced that the Queen sending us to those people was a trap,' the boy spoke after another moment of silence, seemingly getting over his anger. Sebastian inclined his head slightly.

'That katana had a similar effect on me as the Undertaker's scythe,' he admitted unwillingly, ignoring Ciel's gleeful comment about there being more things that can hurt a demon. He knew that Ciel didn't want him dead or damaged. 'I had underestimated its wielder and I would not commit the same mistake again,' he continued as though the boy hadn't spoken. 'However, should all those have similar weapons and should they have attacked at the same time, even I would have trouble defending myself.'

'But you would have succeeded,' Ciel half asked, gleeful gleam gone from his eye. Sebastian didn't manage to supress a wince that twisted his flawless features for the shortest of moments. He was sure that the earl hadn't missed the expression, as he was by now used to fishing out the smallest hints of emotions from his demonic butler. It was a game they played and enjoyed immensely.

'I would not like to put that statement to the test, my lord,' he answered, knowing that, together with the wince, it would be enough for the boy to understand and he wouldn't have to voice the horrible truth that he might not be as invincible as he would like to believe. 'I think we have to assume that the Queen has finally realised what I am,' he added calmly, pushing away the nagging thoughts. Ciel snapped his head to look at him in shock.

'How could she have found out?' he asked. Sebastian shrugged. He had no idea and he had already spent half of the previous night thinking about it. 'Of course, I see no other reason to send us there either,' Ciel added, stopping himself as soon as he realised that he was thinking out loud. Nevertheless, Sebastian could clearly read his thoughts in the cold, blue eye, because they mirrored his own thoughts.

The Queen finding out was of course a problem, but she must have known that her faithful Watchdog, like his predecessor before him, had some tricks up his sleeve to manage all the tasks that had been thrown his way. The Queen, despite what she wrote in her letters, had no warm feelings for the Watchdog. Hence, her wishing to get rid of Sebastian was more troubling because it implicated her wanting to get rid of Ciel rather than her worry for the state of the boy's soul.

'We have no choice but to continue the investigation,' Ciel said finally, leaning back in his huge armchair. Sebastian bowed his head, again wondering if he would be ordered to kill his brother and whether or not he would fulfil that order.

'I wait for your orders, my lord,' he said when Ciel didn't continue for a moment. Was the boy more troubled by the issue of the Queen than he wanted to admit?

'I want you to find those exorcists and observe them discreetly, to make sure that they are not the guilty ones in this affair,' Ciel ordered him and Sebastian realised that it was with some relief that he acknowledged the order, bowing low wordlessly. There was a slight pause, but Sebastian knew better than to leave yet. 'I also want you to make sure that it is your brother, who had provoked the disturbance,' the boy finished.

'Of course, my lord,' Sebastian answered, bowing for the third time. He knew already that his brother was the Millennium Earl and it was just to ensure that he had targeted the hospital's inauguration, so it would be an easy task.

'Do not make contact with him,' the boy warned firmly. Sebastian winced internally. Here goes the easy task, he thought. 'Family or not, I expect you to obey my orders faultlessly,' Ciel clarified, his tone getting colder with each word. Was his little master afraid? Sebastian found that thought amusing.

'Of course, my lord,' he repeated, not letting any emotion enter his voice. He didn't have the slightest intention of betraying his master. 'I shall leave to find the Black Order first. Bard has the lunch prepared and the situation should be under control here,' he added. Ciel dismissed him with a wave of his hand and he left the room.

Leaving the manor, Sebastian knew that he wouldn't have a problem with locating the new hideout of the exorcists. All he had to do was find the distorted soul that smelled of lotus flowers and follow its owner long enough, probably not more than a day or two. Eventually Kanda would maybe even lead him as far as the headquarters of the Order and then Sebastian could really start to contemplate his ideas.

It would do no good to kill the five exorcists as the Order would continue and his stupid brother wouldn't even realise what had happened. However, if Sebastian knew where the headquarters were, it would change the situation drastically. If he'd dare to venture there on his own and eradicate the exorcists, he amended with a frown.

Come to think of it, maybe he should first figure out how many of there were there and whether or not they all wielded "innocence" infused weapons. Barging unprepared was a bad idea in any situation and in this particular one it was possibly deadly.

Smiling coldly, the demon pushed the planning away for the moment. A bit of spying would be good exercise for him and maybe he would be able to toy with his victims a bit before Ciel called him back for something else.


	5. Made from broken parts

**This chapter title comes from a horrible song ("We are" by Hollywood Undead, if you want to check it out), but I love the words and they fit so well!**

* * *

**Ch. 5: Made from broken parts**

As the conversation turned towards Kanda, he started to realise that something was wrong. The weird feeling that Allen should know the things he was asking, however, didn't stop him from answering the questions. He liked talking and he could make fun of Kanda and laugh together with the white-haired exorcist without the risk of having to run for his life, since Kanda was nowhere in sight. Besides, Allen was a friend and he trusted him implicitly. Therefore, even when Allen asked how he and Kanda had met, Lavi replied without much hesitation, even if he kept some parts to himself. He thought that some of the following questions were a bit weird, but he waved the concerns away.

Only when Allen asked about the way to the Black Order did Lavi frown and pause. Allen should know the way perfectly well himself. As soon as he thought that, the scenery changed and he realised that he was dreaming. Dreaming again about having conversations?

Disturbed, he willed himself awake and opened his eyes to look at the ceiling, barely visible in the darkness of the night. He had one of those dreams again, he thought. Again he dreamed of meeting one of his friends and discussing different things: his job, his friends. Seemingly pointless or funny conversations with Allen or Lenalee, sometimes with Kanda or Marie, he had been having them for two weeks now, night after night.

Night after night, without a fault, the person with whom he was talking would ask for the road to the Black Order and Lavi would pause and frown. Night after night he would realise, at that precise point, that he had been dreaming and will himself awake only to spend the rest of the night wondering about the significance of the dream.

Was his mind trying to tell him something? Why would his friends ask for the way to the Black Order?

The first night he had dismissed it, the second: he called the Bookman first thing in the morning to ask if everything was alright. The third night and all the nights after, he tried to find a reason for the dreams and whether or not he should not wake but rather reply. Would the dreams go away then? Somehow he thought that they would.

'Did you know that you're talking in your sleep?' asked a cold, silky voice that sounded vaguely familiar. Lavi jumped out of the bed, reaching for his hammer instinctively, even before he noticed a figure standing in the corner.

Except for two, glowing, red eyes, the figure seemed to be made out of shadows, with no discernible features, nothing that would even prove it was human. Lavi held the hammer tighter, knowing that no human could have gotten into his room without him noticing: he slept light.

'Who are you?' he asked, but the figure chuckled in a way that made the hairs on the back of Lavi's neck stand. It couldn't be a dream, he felt it with every fibre of his being.

'I ask and you answer, every night,' the figure said. A cold shiver ran down Lavi's spine as he realised the meaning behind the dreams that had been hunting him. Did that stranger really hear everything Lavi had dreamt of saying?

'I know everything about you and your friends now. I never thought it would work that well,' the figure continued. 'The Bookman would be disappointed that you didn't manage to keep your secrets, wouldn't he?' the cold, silky voice taunted and the shadows seemed to move, sliding along the wall, closer to Lavi. He turned accordingly, to always face the glowing eyes, ready to strike.

Was this some sort of a new demon? Was the Millennium Earl trying something new and improved? But wouldn't Allen wake up if there had been a demon in their hideout? Lavi didn't know. He didn't like not knowing.

'Who are you and what do you want?' he gritted out, furious at himself for being such an easy prey. The Bookman would have his head if he knew, he realised, thinking back to some of the dream-conversations he has had recently. And if the Bookman didn't then Yu surely would, he amended.

The shadows laughed and swished and a violent chill went up Lavi's spine when a cold breath tickled his ear. He was frozen in sudden panic and barely even acknowledged his hammer being pushed out of his hands, landing on the wooden floor with a loud clatter. Please let it be loud enough for the others to hear, he thought numbly.

'I want to know the way to the Black Order, exorcist,' the voice whispered into his ear and he shivered. 'And tomorrow, you will give it to me,' it added with conviction.

'Lavi, are you alright?' he heard Allen call from the corridor. The voice cackled as Allen pounded on the door and the presence disappeared as the other exorcist called out again.

"Tomorrow, you will give it to me," echoed in Lavi's head as he slumped on the bed, shell-shocked. He registered Allen barging in, the others on his heels, worried. They entered the room, their innocence activated, its light chasing away the eyeless shadows of Lavi's room. He tried to breathe normally.

'Lavi,' he heard and snapped to look at Allen. 'Are you alright? I woke up because of a noise and-' the exorcist trailed away, looking at the hammer on the floor.

'What did you make all this racket for, beansprout?' Kanda growled. Lenalee repeated Allen's question, but there was only one thing Lavi could think about: "tomorrow, you will give it to me." He couldn't let that happen.

})i({

With a sigh, she watched the Finders leave with Lavi. He had collapsed one day and, though they had all known he had problems sleeping since they had moved to the new hideout, they never realised how bad it was until it was too late. The exorcist had probably collapsed from exhaustion and she wished they had taken his story more seriously.

They had moved again, right after that night when Lavi woke them all up, but now she could see that it hadn't helped. Sighing again, she went back to the building, where Allen, Marie and Kanda were sitting at the table. They were discussing work and she winced. How could they when something had been terribly wrong with Lavi?

'Do you think we should move again?' Marie asked. 'It gives me creeps to think that somebody might have really been breaking into the house night after night. I never heard a thing, just Lavi talking in his sleep sometimes.'

'He's always been talking in his sleep,' she sighed, remembering all the funny situations that resulted from them getting a glimpse of Lavi's, usually perverted, dreams. The Bookman's apprentice usually tried to not share rooms, but sometimes there was not a lot of space during the missions and he had no choice.

'We keep watch and get them,' Kanda replied, ignoring her words. She saw the determined expression cross Allen's face as he nodded and said that he would take the first watch. 'As you wish, beansprout, wake me up at midnight,' Kanda commanded and left the room.

Lenalee caught herself wishing it was not Lavi who snapped and immediately chastised herself for the thought. Whoever it would have been, she would be equally worried because they were all her family, however unwilling they were to admit it.

'I'll take over from Kanda at four,' Marie said. When Lenalee protested, he told her to sleep that night fully and that the night after somebody else would sleep undisturbed. Reluctantly, she agreed and wished them good night before going to her bedroom and closing the door, leaning her forehead against it.

Were those dreams Lavi had so scary that he didn't want to go to sleep again? Or could it have been that he hadn't dreamt up the weird encounter he'd told them about? It seemed unbelievable that anybody would be able to slip past the exorcists like that.

'Such a beauty you are,' whispered a husky voice into her ear. She would have screamed but a cool hand closed over her lips. 'Shh, don't scream my pretty,' the voice said. 'I came here to make you forget your worries for a moment,' it whispered and a fleeting kiss brushed past her neck.

Lenalee shivered, feeling as though the kiss had burned her skin. It felt good somehow. The hand fell from her mouth but she didn't scream, too busy trying to understand her reactions. She closed her eyes when another kiss was pressed against the skin on her neck.

'Such beauty, yet so much sadness,' the voice whispered as a hand gently wrapped itself around her waist. The touch burned even through her clothes and Lenalee realised that she was being seduced. Eyes snapping open, she pushed herself away from the intruder and immediately felt a weird kind of chill.

'Lavi didn't lie,' she hissed furiously, even as a shudder ran down her spine as she faced the man, his face hidden in the shadows. 'You have five seconds to surrender or I kick you through the wall and let me tell you, Kanda doesn't like to be woken up,' she threatened, readying herself to fulfil her threat.

'Such determination,' the stranger laughed, his husky voice carrying a cold undertone that made Lenalee shiver. 'But tell me, are you sure you want to give up the pleasure that I promise?' he asked in a different tone and she shivered again, because that voice awoke something within her.

Before she could react, and she wasn't so sure anymore that she would be kicking the man through the wall, the stranger was behind her again. Next moment, a hand was trailing down her neck and Lenalee sighed. She had never been touched like that before. Her breath hitched when the stranger reached to undo one of the buttons of her coat.

'Please,' she whispered, not knowing what she was pleading for. She wanted the man to stop, she wanted to kick him through the wall and have the others deal with him. She certainly didn't want him to stop touching her like that. She wanted to explore the feelings waking up in her.

})i({

'So Lenalee just broke down screaming?' Lavi asked. Allen glanced at him and nodded, before looking away again.

The night after Lavi had been carted away to the Order, Lenalee had broken down screaming. It had happened right when Allen had been going to sleep, after waking Kanda up to keep watch over the house. With her being completely hysteric, they had decided to call it quits and go back to the headquarters for a break.

'She was just repeating the same sentence over and over again,' Allen said, remembering the scene with a shudder. He didn't want to think about the state of undress in which he found the girl. It hinted onto what could have possibly happened, but Allen's mind rebelled. He wasn't going to mention it to the Bookman apprentice either, even though the image hunted him ever since.

'That "he had just done it to know the way"?' Lavi asked, repeating the exact phrase that Lenalee had been screaming over and over again. Allen nodded. 'She has been whimpering that when they brought her in,' he added. 'I had just woken up and I saw them bringing her in and I really don't want to know what "it" was.'

Allen shuddered again, his treacherous mind providing a plausible answer.

It had happened three days earlier and since then, Lenalee said nothing to nobody and refused to cooperate in any kind of way. The doctors had no idea what to do about it and Komui was close to a breakdown himself.

'How are you doing?' Allen asked, feeling guilty for burdening his friend with more worries when Lavi was still recovering himself. The red-head smiled.

'I'm doing better. They keep me drugged so that I sleep and the dreams didn't repeat, so everything will be alright,' he said with a smile. Allen fought to smile back but he couldn't believe the comforting words, especially when Lavi was still unhealthily pale and there was this haunted expression in his eye. Had he said something in his dreams that he regretted?

'We really thought that you had been dreaming about that thing you met, until Lenalee broke down,' he admitted sadly, feeling guilty for not trusting his friend. He should have known better. He should have realised that Lavi would not lie or be mistaken. Maybe if he had believed Lavi, all that could be have been avoided.

'You shouldn't beat yourself up about that Allen,' the red-head assured him, still smiling, although Allen could see that it was forced. 'There were moments when I didn't trust myself about that. I should have gone directly to the Order and gotten some rest rather than fainting on you like that, in the middle of a mission,' he added with a wince. Allen winced as well, remembering the dangerous situation.

He still felt that he should have noticed something. He considered himself Lavi's friend and yet he couldn't even tell when his friend was suffering. Damn it, he considered himself Lenalee's friend and yet "something" horrible had happened to her and he hadn't been there to stop it. And now there was nothing he could do for either of his friends, useless as he was.

'Seriously Allen, if you have to worry about something, there are other problems,' Lavi said firmly, his face losing the smiel. Allen didn't need a reminder, because while he took Lenalee to get back to the Order-

'Medics!' somebody shouted, snapping Allen out of his thoughts. He turned to see two Finders carrying Marie, who seemed to be unconscious, his face covered in blood. Allen felt his blood freeze, breath caught in his lungs. All his thoughts disappeared as his mind tried to acknowledge the new development.

'I should have never left them alone,' he whispered, watching how Marie was taken care of, barely registering snippets of the conversation talking about "alive" and "ear damage".

Three days earlier, Allen had offered to take Lenalee to the Order, partly because he was the only one who would and could get close enough to her to help her dress up and walk. Kanda and Marie had stayed behind to pack up and wait for the transport to take all their things. The transport had found the town house empty, with obvious signs of a fight and many blood splatters. There had been no sign of either Marie or Kanda.

'Oh dear,' Lavi whispered next to him and Allen knew that he was thinking the same: if Marie was like that then where was Kanda? They knew that the Japanese wouldn't have left his friend willingly.

'It's all my fault,' Allen whispered and believed his words.


	6. Broken from the start

**A second title from "We are" by Hollywood Undead (still a terrible song).**

* * *

**Ch. 6: Broken from the start**

Pain was the first thing he was aware of as his mind struggled through the darkness. Pain in his abdomen and the ringing in his ears, he amended, relieved to realise that he was actually thinking and feeling. He could feel the blood crusted on his face and the restraints around his wrists. Judging by the feeling, he was probably held up against a wall, he thought and, sure enough, there was the seeping cold of stones behind his back.

Forcing a pain-filled groan to remain unuttered, he blinked a couple of times, relieved to find relative darkness. He would normally try to listen to the situation before betraying his returning consciousness, but the ringing in his ears didn't leave him any choice in that matter.

He was in a room and although he couldn't see anybody, he felt a presence. However, before he could look around, he saw Mugen on the floor, more less in the middle of the room. It looked to be in good state and he felt relief flood him, before he realised that he needed to get free first.

He tugged at the restraints experimentally, earning only metallic clatter and harsh bite of the handcuffs. At the same moment, he realised that the ringing in his ears was all but gone and that somebody was chuckling coldly. He froze.

'Who are you?' he asked, carefully keeping his tone angry and cold. The chuckle ceased and he thought he could see the shadows move.

'You really cannot die,' said a mocking voice that he was sure he should remember. Ah, yes, he remembered getting stabbed in his stomach, just before the horrible, screeching sound had him and Marie screaming in pain.

Marie, he thought but didn't want to dwell on it. The other man wasn't with him and he wasn't going to lie to himself that Marie would be just fine. If his ears had been ringing like that- He stopped himself and took a deep breath, reminding himself that he didn't care.

Shadows moved closer to him and the only thing he could do was look at what seemed to be two, glowing, red eyes. Exactly as Lavi had described it, he realised with a pang of guilt. He should have believed the other exorcist.

'Well, Yu, I will certainly enjoy our time together,' the shadows said. Before Kanda could wonder how the person knew his first name, a hit landed on his stomach. Searing pain erupted as his flesh was torn and he couldn't stop himself screaming out.

Demonic laughter drowned his screaming.

'Who are you?' he gasped out when the pain subsided sufficiently to gather coherent thoughts. He could feel his body already trying to heal the wound, even as blood flowed out.

'Somebody who has been following you and your friends for a while,' the shadows answered. 'Somebody who will crush you all, little pitiful exorcists, one by one,' they laughed and the laughter chilled Kanda to the bone.

'You don't sound like a demon,' he said, hating how pain-filled his voice sounded. 'Are you Noah?' he asked. The shadows laughed mockingly.

'Oh, I am a demon alright,' they said, hissing. 'If you don't think so yet, I am going to make you change your mind soon. I can start by telling you how I deflowered your beautiful friend. Oh how she screamed for me.'

Kanda didn't want to listen to it. The words brought back memories from that night when Lenalee had broken down and they had realised that Lavi hadn't been lying. The words brought images of Lenalee that night. He didn't want to remember that.

Weakly, he pulled on his restraints, trying to drown the voice of the shadows telling him about how Marie would be deaf or nearly deaf now, not a good thing for a blind man.

'See,' the shadows hissed. 'From my conversations with the future Bookman and from the smells of your souls I could figure out ways to break all of them, except for you.'

There was a pause, as though the shadows wanted the information to sink in properly. Whoever it was, they had tried, and maybe succeeded, to break the people that he had grudgingly started calling "friends".

'Tell me, Yu, how does one have a soul only filled with hate and anger?' the shadows asked. 'I cannot break somebody who only hates everything.'

'What are you babbling about?' Kanda growled out, not wanting to understand the words, not wanting for the message to sink in. He just wanted to have Mugen in his hand and to slice away at the infuriating thing that had apparently captured him.

'Even now, all you feel is anger and hate,' the shadows commented matter-of-factly. 'Don't you feel sadness or pain for your friends?' they asked, only managing to infuriate Kanda further. Who was that person telling him what he should be feeling?

'What the hell do you want from me?' he asked, even his own pain forgotten as his determination to get free and _cut_ the annoying thing into pieces increased.

'I couldn't get the directions to the Black Order from either of them, I suppose you must all be guarding that secret too well,' the shadows mused, seemingly ignoring his question. 'So I decided to take on a different approach. I hope you don't mind helping me,' they chuckled.

'You must be out of your mind if you think that I will help you in anything, unless you need somebody to dissect you into tiny pieces,' Kanda hissed, but the shadows only laughed and moved so fast that before he realised they had moved he was already screaming in pain from another stab wound.

'I wouldn't be so sure,' the shadows whispered while he tried to pull himself together, willing the pain to subside. 'After all, I am temptation and pain. Everybody has their mixture of the two that will make them tools of mine and with you I have all the time in the world to test the right amount of pain, don't I, Yu?'

His head was spinning, he realised with some distress. He could barely focus on the whispering voice in the shadows, the meaning of the words almost slipping away. Did he lose too much blood, even for his body to keep him conscious?

He heard the voice saying that he would be back and he realised that it was his chance, possibly the only one he would ever get. He needed to get out and find Marie. He needed to warn the Order. He had no time to waste.

Bracing himself for the pain, he viciously pulled his right hand, howling in pain as the metal handcuff scrapped his hand away until the bone. He didn't dare to look at it as he prepared to do the same with the left one, breathing deeply while he waited for the pain to subside. It will heal, he thought, it will heal.

Blinking away the black dots from his vision, he pulled his left hand, but he didn't have enough strength left and the handcuff only cut deeply into his palm. Again, he thought, gritting his teeth as pain flooded his senses. However, the darkness claimed him in that very moment.

})i({

Sebastian looked at the white-haired teenager with annoyance. Allen Walker from the Black Order had come to the Phantomhive Manor officially, asking if they could help the Order look for the missing exorcist, Yu Kanda.

'Why would I help you looking for that disagreeable, rude man?' Ciel asked coldly as soon as Allen stopped talking. Sebastian, standing behind Ciel's chair, smirked at the teenager, who looked like he was going to agree with Ciel's description of his comrade.

'I know that Kanda is pretty hard to get along with, but he means well,' the exorcist said and Sebastian could see that he believed his own words. 'Things went bad recently and we thought that you know more about normal people than we do. You surely have contacts in the dark places of the underworld, where we cannot even hope to find anything and there is a chance Kanda is somewhere there.'

Ciel said nothing, only looked coldly at Allen, as though he was even contemplating the request. Sebastian almost laughed at the idea. While his investigation had proved doubtlessly that the Black Order was not the culprit behind the appearance of the demons, his little master didn't seem to harbour any positive feelings towards the organisation. The demon was impatient to see Allen's crestfallen face when Ciel would deny his help.

'What's in it for me, exorcist?' Ciel asked finally, his tone cold and indifferent. Still, the question surprised Sebastian, who had expected his master to say "no" directly. It wasn't a pleasant surprise either. Allen sighed.

'The Black Order will be deeply indebted to the Queen's Watchdog,' he said formally, sounding rather tired. Sebastian frowned, knowing that his little master liked to get people indebted to him. He had a nasty habit of collecting those debts in the cruellest ways imaginable and surely there would be something that the Black Order would be good for.

'I see,' Ciel muttered and Sebastian had to forcefully stop himself from gritting his teeth, because he heard Ciel's answer in those two words. 'Sebastian,' the little lord called.

'Yes, my lord?' the demon asked, knowing perfectly well what the order would be.

'Find Yu Kanda and bring him here,' Ciel said, not even sparing a glance at his faithful servant. Allen immediately started thanking the earl, nearly drowning out Sebastian's "yes, my lord".

'Don't thank me yet, Allen Walker,' Ciel said coldly, not letting Allen finish what he was saying. Sebastian was sure that, by the time Ciel will be done collecting his debts, Allen won't be so happy that he had asked the Queen's Watchdog for help. 'Now leave. I will find a way of contacting you if we find your comrade.'

That was an option as well, Sebastian thought suddenly. Having Kanda he could claim the way to the Black Order through the worried Allen, under the pretext of bringing the Japanese man in. If his little lord would agree, he thought darkly, leading the exorcist to the door.

When the figure disappeared in the distance, Sebastian returned to Ciel's side, asking if he wanted anything. His little lord asked him what he was waiting for and so he excused himself and, silently fuming, went directly to the basement. He had been given a clear order and he wasn't going to disobey it or prolong the situation. He preferred to get it over with and, should he be ordered, return the exorcist to the Order.

Coming into the basement where he had placed the exorcist, he immediately noticed that his toy was unconscious. Probably regenerating, he thought, somehow unsurprised to see that Kanda had mutilated his right hand to get out of the handcuff. It seemed like something the man would do and Sebastian felt some grudging respect for him as he came closer to inspect the damage.

The sight of blood and torn flesh didn't bother Sebastian in the slightest. What disturbed him was that Kanda had managed to free his hand, rendering handcuffs rather useless. Luckily, he seemed to have fainted before he could repeat the same feat with the other hand and escape, although the bruises and cuts around his left wrist said that he had tried.

Sullenly, Sebastian released the hand still held by the handcuff, not bothering to catch the falling body or break the fall. He leaned down and grabbed it and carried it upstairs, dropping it unceremoniously in front of the utterly shocked Ciel moments later.

'As you ordered, my lord,' he gritted out while his little master took in the bloodied person on the floor, before turning to look at him, eye wide open. Annoying as the situation was, Sebastian appreciated the look of shock on Ciel's face. It would be his little consolation prise if he was ordered to abandon his little project.

For the longest moment, Ciel said nothing and Sebastian glared back into his master's eye, as though challenging the boy to yell at him. No yelling came, however, and Ciel turned to look at the exorcist again for another long while.

'I see,' the earl said finally, sitting more comfortably in the armchair with the tiniest of sighs and some resignation in his voice. 'He will leave bloodstains here,' he added coldly. Forcing his smirk to stay hidden, Sebastian bowed and promised to clean up. Ciel glanced back at the exorcist, his expression unreadable even for Sebastian.

'Very well then,' he said finally. 'Go back to your projects, Sebastian,' he added. The demon could hear that his master was very carefully keeping emotions out of his voice and expression. Was his little lord bothered by the obvious signs of injury? Did it bring memories that his master wanted to forget? The demon would have laughed if he thought it appropriate.

'Thank you, my lord,' he said with a bow and collected the exorcist from the floor, deciding to not ask if they should tell the Black Order anything. It wasn't his problem after all. Thrown over his shoulder, Kanda groaned while both master and servant winced at the stains of blood that were left behind.

'I will clean it momentarily, my lord,' Sebastian promised and hurried to restrain his toy before it completely regained consciousness. It seemed that he would need to get creative with the bondage, he thought, leaving the room. Maybe a metal collar would solve the problem, he mused on his way back to the basement. Even if he could reincarnate and thus be careless about sustaining injuries, Kanda would be physically unable to rip his head off and consequently unable to escape.

'I have to admit that I am impressed,' he said when the exorcist groaned again, not caring if he could or could not hear him. 'It's not often that I meet people willing to inflict that kind of pain upon themselves, Yu.'

'Shut up,' the exorcist gasped painfully and Sebastian laughed. As he reached the basement, he carelessly dropped his burden and, while Kanda was busy trying to pull himself together, he found a metal collar, connected to a chain that he could conveniently attach to the wall as well. What such a thing was doing in the Phantomhive basement, Sebastian didn't want to know.

Too late he realised that he had forgotten to disguise himself in the shadows. However, if his lord was alright with this little activity, there was no reason why he should hide anymore as Kanda was not leaving this place without his permission. He smirked when the man's eyes widened in recognition and then narrowed in hate, as though saying "I wish I had killed you back then".

Swiftly, he attached him back to the wall, ignoring the hiss of pain as he grabbed his right hand. He explained the purpose of the collar gleefully, enjoying the disdainful look when he challenged Kanda to rip his own head off as he attached the chain to the same spot where the left wrist was fastened. As soon as he let go, Kanda sagged against the wall, gasping in pain as the action put more pressure on his wrists.

Satisfied, Sebastian stepped away to admire his work.

'Now then, Yu, I have a deal for you,' he said. The exorcist glared at him, hate being the only emotion in his dark eyes, even as his face twisted in pain. 'Help me destroy the Black Order,' Sebastian asked.

'What?' Kanda hissed, obviously too surprised to contain his reaction.

'Help me destroy the Order that has defiled your body and trapped your soul in an endless circle of reincarnation,' Sebastian said clearly and slowly, not missing how Kanda twitched at his words. 'Help me erase the Order that has taken your childhood and gave you only pain in return,' he added, enjoying the flicker of emotion that crossed the pain-filled expression.

Kanda looked away.


	7. When something is broken

**One person is asking me for yaoi, one says to not put any… It'll be difficult to please you both ;)**

**Chapter title from "Red" by the most amazing The 69 Eyes!**

* * *

**Ch. 7: When something is broken**

'I cannot betray the Order,' Kanda said quietly, not looking at him. It wasn't exactly the answer Sebastian had been expecting, but he didn't let it show. 'My Innocence would kill me if I tried and I'm not letting _that_ be my end,' he added, his voice even quieter. With a small gasp of pain, he moved to stand against the wall, rather than hanging from the restraints.

'I see,' Sebastian muttered. 'You are conditioned for loyalty by your organisation,' he added, smirking at Kanda's annoyed glare. It wasn't half as threatening as it should be, on that pain-twisted face.

'Is it the Innocence that keeps you alive?' he asked, curious. Kanda shook his head but didn't speak. Sebastian contemplated the situation for a moment, wondering how he should proceed. The future Bookman had been surprisingly tight-lipped when it came to Kanda's past, which suggested things he wouldn't even say to his friends.

'What is it then?' he asked, trying the direct approach, but Kanda only glared at him, obviously done with answering questions. That's more like it, Sebastian thought gleefully, a kitchen knife appearing in his hand in a split of a second. He noted that Kanda saw it but there was not even the smallest sign of fear in the exorcist's eyes, only hate and anger, like in his distorted soul.

'Does it have to do with the smell of lotus that surrounds your soul?' Sebastian asked, not missing the tiny twitch of Kanda's face, the split of a second when the mask of hate and anger was not complete. He was onto something. A nasty smile twisted his face as he put the knife to Kanda's neck. 'I wonder, if I kill you, would your soul smell more of the lotus flower?' he asked.

'My soul,' Kanda repeated doubtfully, completely ignoring the knife. Did he trust his reincarnation abilities so much or did he not care to die? Sebastian wanted to know.

'Indeed,' the demon confirmed in a pleasant tone. 'I suppose I have to test it,' he added and, faster than human eye could see, moved the knife from Kanda's neck to abdomen and stabbed. The exorcist cried out in pain, but there was no change in his soul. The wound healed too fast for him to bleed out, so Sebastian stabbed again, provoking another pained cry. He noted, absent-mindedly, that Kanda's right hand already looked much better, even as the man was slowly bleeding out. Were the injuries healed in the order that had been inflicted? Sebastian figured he would have to see for himself.

The next stab rewarded Sebastian with only a small gasp of pain and then the exorcist died, hanging off the handcuffs. The soul distorted further, but stayed firmly attached to the dead body, which was expected but intriguing. Wouldn't a Death God come to collect a soul every time somebody died? Not that Sebastian really wanted one of those pests in the manor.

Moving away, he counted the seconds until the man gasped, the pain-filled sound shattering the complete silence of the room. The soul went back to its previous state and, disappointingly, did not smell more of the lotus flowers at any point. If anything, it smelled the tiniest bit less after the reincarnation. Could it be that when the smell was gone that man would truly die?

So many fascinating questions, Sebastian thought, watching calmly.

Interestingly enough, Kanda wasn't all healed, the demon noted, listening to the shallow, laboured breathing. His wounds had stopped bleeding but they were far from closed, Sebastian could see that much even through the torn uniform.

'Would you like me to tell you about real demons?' he asked conversationally, surprising himself. His only answer was a pained gasp and the shallow breathing, but he continued nevertheless, wondering what has gotten into him to talk. 'You probably think you know all there is to know about them, don't you? But I'm not talking about the pitiful creations that you fight, exorcist, I'm talking about the real demons, born in the fires of hell.'

'Why,' Kanda gasped. 'Why would I want to listen to anything you say?' he managed to get out, looking up to glare at Sebastian hatefully. The demon allowed himself another smirk, taking in the unhealthily pale complexion of his toy. It seemed that blood loss needed to be fixed separately, regardless of the state of un-death.

'How rude, Yu. I want your cooperation, so I'm willing to be a nice host. But you should also have some politeness as my guest,' he said.

'Don't call me that,' the exorcist gritted out, managing to stand against the wall, even as his face twisted with pain and exertion. Sebastian took a moment to inspect the state of the wounds. The right hand was all but healed, although it looked a bit tender. Would the man have all the nervous connections intact? He wished there was a way to check other than letting the exorcist free.

'Really, I would have thought you'd have more pressing problems than my way of addressing you,' Sebastian laughed and, receiving no answer, proceeded to tell Kanda about demons. He deeply enjoyed the horror that gleamed in Kanda's eyes for a split of a second, when he said that real demons were stronger than the Millennium Earl. He assured the man that real demons had no business with the exorcists, so the Black Order needn't fear.

Only when he felt Ciel's call, did Sebastian leave the room, promising to be back as soon as he could. He received no answer for his reassurance, but he never expected one. Regardless, he allowed himself a small, satisfied smile as he climbed the stairs gracefully, already wondering what he would do next time that he had time to spend with the exorcist. With any luck, Ciel wouldn't need anything too difficult.

It lasted several days. When Ciel didn't need him, Sebastian would go to the basement and see how much time he needed to kill Kanda, mentally recording the data. While he was slowly stabbing and cutting him, he tried to get information about the Order, but the exorcist wasn't the most talkative person in the world. The only thing he managed to half-guess was that reincarnation wasn't a common skill.

While Kanda was recovering, Sebastian talked to him about the powers of a real demon. One day he even went as far as saying that, should they form a contract, he could make the exorcists dreams come true. He was perplexed when the man didn't seem to acknowledge such a temptation. Was there nothing he wanted?

})i({

Lavi and Allen were back from another wild goose chase, as Lavi called them. On top of the usual tasks, such as retrieving the Innocence fragments and killing demons, Komui made it a point to follow every possible trail that could lead them to Kanda, stretching their forces even thinner.

It wasn't that Allen didn't want to find his fellow exorcist, regardless of Kanda's personality, but wherever they went, they just rescued immigrants or even found the places empty and unused since many years. As days passed, he started wondering if the man was still in England and whether or not Komui would have them extend the search to the whole world.

'I wish that bastard would just show up and give us a break,' Lavi muttered as they went to the supervisor's office to report the failure of the mission. Allen laughed humourlessly, knowing immediately whom Lavi was talking about. The Bookman's apprentice told them all that the thing interrogating him during his sleep was very interested in just about all of them five, which suggested that whatever it was that visited Lavi held Kanda now. Unfortunately, they were no closer to knowing what it was and Bookman's input didn't put anybody at ease.

At the very least, Lave had come to terms with what has happened to him. As he said, he had gone through all the conversations many times and had realised that the only things he shared with the stranger were small facts from the lives of his friends. Allen, Lenalee and Marie had long since forgiven him, saying that they were happy he was alright.

'Imagine how pissed he will be if we have to rescue him from a demon?' Allen asked, remembering the Bookman saying that it could have only been a demon that Lavi had met. Yet, the pang of guilt he felt whenever he thought about having left Marie and Kanda behind wouldn't let him enjoy the mental image of Kanda's face. Lavi laughed and agreed that it would be a sight to remember.

Running footsteps alerted them to Lenalee's presence moments before the girl turned the corner and stopped, disappointment clearly written across her face. Allen wished he could bring good news, if only to make her smile. She had recovered from her ordeal, even going as far as saying, while blushing furiously, that it did feel good while it lasted. Allen still remembered the shell-shocked expression on Komui's face just then and his own furious blush when he realised what Lenalee was talking about. The supervisor cried for days, mourning the fact that his precious sister was not pure anymore, earning a solid kick from the Bookman in the end.

Unfortunately, Lenalee blamed herself for their pursuer turning towards Kanda and only the argument that if she had told him the way to the Order they would all be screwed worked to keep her guilt to reasonable levels. It was clear to all of them that the demon was trying to find a way into the Order. It tried to get it out of Lavi, then tried to seduce Lenalee into betrayal and finally it decided to kidnap Kanda.

When he had recovered, Marie told them about the assault with the most details possible, but he couldn't see the attacker. He wasn't even sure if there was only one, because they seemed to be faster than Kanda. He couldn't forgive himself for fainting, even though they had all been told that it was a miracle he had survived, so he was always away, using his new and improved headphones to find his friend.

'You didn't find him,' Lenalee said quietly, her tone a little bit more broken than the previous time. Allen looked away, wishing that it was him to be gone, so that he didn't have to face her disappointment. However that adventure would end, it would leave scars on all of their souls.

'But I see that the Order hadn't been attacked,' Lavi noted, looking around as though he was checking for the presence of demons. Lenalee had been charged with the preparations in the headquarters, because her brother didn't even want to hear about her going out to where she could possibly meet the demon who made her feel _good_.

'It's been calm here,' she admitted. 'Everybody's worried, waiting for an attack to come, though, and it's wearing everybody down, even if nothing really happens,' she added quietly.

'Well if they hadn't attacked it means that Yu hadn't told them shit, doesn't it?' Lavi pointed out with a reassuring smile. Lenalee allowed herself a tiny smile in return. 'And if none other exorcist had been attacked by that demon, it means that Yu is still alive, doesn't it?' he added and Allen took a deep breath. There was always hope, as long as they lived.

'If you look at it like that,' Lenalee muttered, not seeming utterly convinced. She did lack some confidence since her own encounter with the demon. Lavi wrapped his arms around their shoulders, leading them towards the canteen, asking the girl to tell them news. 'Miranda is back and is taking plenty of rest, so that at the smallest sign of trouble she can activate her Time Record and keep us alive and kicking no matter what,' the girl said. 'Like that we cannot be defeated even if we all die afterwards.'

'I like how you think positively, Lenalee,' Lavi laughed. Allen smiled, wondering if the red-head ever lost his good mood. Then again, he knew now that Lavi did and he hoped to never be around to see it happen again. Lenalee scoffed, saying that it was serious matters if the headquarters would be attacked.

'We have set up the arc to bring everybody here immediately though, or as fast as they can get to the gates from their sides,' she added. 'Komui insisted on building another Komurin, but the idea had been vetoed before he finished the sentence,' she informed them, a trace of laughter finally entering her voice. Allen and Lavi shared a relieved glance, both deciding to not comment.

'The Earl Phantomhive didn't contact the Order, did he?' Allen asked after a moment of silence. Until they had ascertained that it must have been a demon that had kidnapped Kanda, he had been hoping that the earl could help. He wondered if he should go to visit the kid again and tell him that his assistance would not be needed anymore.

'Nope,' Lenalee confirmed his thoughts. 'Besides, I have no idea how he would have done it, if he doesn't know where we are or where to find Finders even,' she added with a frown. Allen shrugged.

'If Kanda was rescued than the little earl wouldn't need to worry about that,' Lavi pointed out. 'He would come back on his own.'

Of course, Allen thought. Even if it meant that he would have to suffer through Kanda's presence again, he wished for the Japanese to be back. He knew that he would never forgive himself if Kanda died and he didn't want to carry the weight of the dead on his shoulders.


	8. A turning tide

"**Adventure in the future" is what is described in "Let's leave unsaid what's left unspoken" *hint, hint* ;)**

* * *

**Ch. 8: A turning tide**

Standing in front of his master's desk, Sebastian had mixed feelings about the news he was going to deliver. He was just back from an impromptu meeting with Charles Phipps, aimed to follow up on a rumour. The outcome had surpassed Sebastian's greatest hopes. Finally, they had discovered the culprit behind Ciel family's demise, however…

'It seems, my lord, that we have a bit of a problem,' he said with only the slightest hesitation. The cold blue eye glared at him instantaneously as the boy said that he didn't appreciate his choice of words. 'An issue then, if you will,' Sebastian corrected smoothly.

'What is your issue, demon?' Ciel asked. Recently, his little master had constantly been in a bad mood. Not even the finest desserts cheered the boy up and Sebastian was starting to worry, despite his strong resolution to not care for the human.

'As you commanded, I have met with the wizard,' Sebastian started, as usual, not using the name of the man. After their little adventure in the future, Ciel had taken care to exploit any possibilities of help from the magical community by making Sebastian pose as a wizard when necessary. Discovering that the Queen's butler, Charles Phipps was a wizard shocked them both but it also opened an amazing source of information.

'Spare me the story of your day,' Ciel cut him coldly. As usual, every mention of the wizards put his little master in a bad mood, or even worse when he already was in a bad mood. Sebastian wondered why it was. Could it have been that Ciel didn't like making friends with the students? Or was he missing them now that he was alone again, the proud and aloof Watchdog? Either way, Sebastian thought it was amusing, even when the bad mood was usually vented on him.

'Of course, my lord,' he replied with a bow. 'The wizard confirmed that the Queen had been involved in my lord's unfortunate adventure before we have met,' he said, cutting straight to the point. Or at least a part of it, he amended.

Ciel's pale face turned completely white as the news sank in. Sebastian waited, wondering if his master was happy that his life was coming to its end or whether fear started to bloom in his determined soul. The demon couldn't feel anything like that yet, but he knew that fear took time sometimes and Ciel wasn't used to being afraid anymore.

'The Queen,' Ciel repeated weakly. Sebastian could understand, after all, the boy had spent the last part of his life faithfully following every order of that woman. The very woman who had ordered his parents exterminated. The demon inclined his head.

'It seems that the Queen has decided that the Watchdog was becoming too powerful,' he said calmly, repeating what Phipps had told him, not knowing that he was talking with the Phantomhive butler. 'I imagine that my help has done nothing to diminish her worries,' he added with the tiniest of smirks. Ciel only looked at him, seemingly too shocked to be annoyed anymore. Sebastian gave him another moment to shake of the shock, but the boy just looked at him.

'My lord, are you quite alright?' the demon asked politely.

'So the Queen really has sent you to your death when she ordered us to investigate the exorcists?' the boy asked quietly, surprising Sebastian with the change of topic. 'How did she know that you are a demon?'

'This is the issue I mentioned earlier,' Sebastian admitted. 'According to the wizard, the Queen had accepted help of something that the wizard calls "Noah". I have investigated this name after my, uh, guest had mentioned it,' he added.

'Your guest,' Ciel muttered, shaking his head slightly. Sebastian could tell that Ciel didn't fully approve of his little project. The boy hadn't said anything but Sebastian hadn't been his pet demon during the last three and something years for nothing. Could that have been the reason of Ciel's perpetual bad mood? Wouldn't the boy order him to stop in that case though? 'What is this Noah then?' Ciel asked, snapping Sebastian out of his thoughts.

'Noah clan seem to be followers of my idiot brother, my lord,' he said, not bothering no hide his dislike for the one who called himself the Millennium Earl. 'They are human beings, more or less, bestowed some incredible powers,' he clarified in the same tone. 'The Noah that is posing as Queen's advisor has apparently taken the form of one of Queen's butlers shortly before your parents have been murdered.'

'Was it his doing then? Or was it the Queen's will?' Ciel asked, his shock obviously giving way to his short patience. Sebastian was somewhat glad to see his master's character come back. 'Speak clearly demon or do you not wish to finish this?'

'Forgive me, my lord,' Sebastian said with a bow. 'The Noah merely gave the Queen the tools she needed. According to the wizard, the Queen wanted to get rid of the Watchdog long before one of her butlers started acting suspiciously,' he clarified.

'Are you telling me that Earl Charles Grey is this Noah?' Ciel asked, seeming to finally catch on Sebastian's hints as to the identity of the Noah. The other butler, Charles Phipps was, after all the wizard, leaving only one possibility. Sebastian was glad that, even in the state of shock, his master could think. He inclined his head.

'It should better be said that Earl Charles Grey is dead, his place occupied by a creature that can take its form, one of the Noah of my brother,' the demon said. Ciel glared at him coldly. 'Another Noah led the cult that has captured you, my lord, also with the blessing of the Queen, who doesn't believe in demons after all,' he added, letting irony tinge his words. 'At least she didn't until recently, when Earl Grey had finally whispered to her that I had managed to survive death.'

That had been the story Phipps had shared. The Queen never actually thought that the cult or the little, terrified boy could call a demon, because she never believed that demons existed. The Noah had survived the massacre, since Sebastian hadn't known to look out for things that were not quite human, and had recently come into contact with the Noah posing as Charles Grey. Phipps had overheard their discussion by accident, alerting the wizarding society to the possible threat from the new enemy called "Noah". The "Noah" seemed to be strong and have magical powers. Sebastian said all that to Ciel, watching boy's emotionless face.

'I see,' Ciel whispered when the demon was done talking.

'What are your orders, my lord?' Sebastian asked after a while of silence. Now that the moment he had been waiting for has arrived, he felt surprisingly unsatisfied. Was he going to miss that annoying brat whom he had called master for so many years?

'Am I correct in thinking that you will be hard pressed to defeat the Noah?' Ciel asked back, surprising the demon. 'All of them, I mean. Not just the two, who had directly led to my misfortune. I want all of them dead and I want them to know why, before they die,' he clarified, hate dripping from the words. It was Sebastian's time to look at his master in shock. Was that little lording suggesting what the demon thought he was?

He had known from the very beginning that it was the Queen who had been responsible for his master's fate and only his orders stopped him from immediately revealing the plot to his master. After all, the little lording ordered him to be the sword and the shield, not the brain. Grudgingly, he had to admit to enjoying those years and appreciating what the work for the Queen had done to the little boy's soul.

However, he had not expected such a turn of events. For another demon to be involved in the situation was so improbable, he had never even bothered thinking about it. After all, real demons were a rarity in the human world. He hadn't even heard from his idiot brother in decades.

'I asked you a question, demon,' Ciel said coldly, snapping Sebastian out of his thoughts. 'I order you to answer it truthfully,' he added and Sebastian bowed.

'My lord is correct. It will be time-consuming to remove the Noah on my own,' he said, calmness returning. For the prize of that exquisite soul, he wouldn't hesitate to kill his brother. A nasty smile twisted Ciel's pretty face.

'Well then, isn't it a splendid coincidence that your guest, as you put it, seems to be able to help us in this one?' the boy asked sweetly, pulling on his best innocent expression. Sebastian gritted his teeth: that damned brat had found a way to save the exorcist and destroy his little project.

})i({

He listened, eyes closed. Over the days that he had spent in the basement room, he had learnt the smallest sounds. Unable to leave, he started to rely more and more on his ears to try and figure out the way out, once he got free from the damned room. The only thing he needed to do was free his hands and then pull the chain attached to that damned collar out of the wall. Afterwards it would be easy, because Mugen was still right in front of him, as though that damned demon wanted to taunt him. That is, it would be easy if his hands were able to grip the hilt properly.

The problem was that he was at the end of his strength. His body barely managed to heal the wounds anymore and he didn't want to know whether it meant the end of his life or if he would be alright once he got some rest. Sebastian never left him long enough anymore and he knew that, if he attempted to get free again he better succeed.

Footsteps outside the door to "his" room alerted him to the demon's presence. Nobody else but Sebastian ever came here and, although he had heard different sets of footsteps, they never even came close. Did nobody in that place hear his screaming? Or did they not care?

As the door opened, he forced himself to remain calm, pretending to still be asleep. If the demon thought that he was out of it, he would maybe leave and Kanda would have the time to restore enough strength to escape. He heard the footsteps stop and the door close with a bang. Did he manage to not twitch at the loud sound? He wasn't sure.

The swish of the blow in the air was his only warning before the pain came, forcing a scream out of him. Damn that demon.

'That's just to keep you subdued until I have the time to explain what is going to happen,' Sebastian growled. He seemed to be in a bad mood, so Kanda looked up and told him where he can put his explanations. It earned him a sharp slap on the face that had almost threatened to snap his neck. Breathing deeply, he willed the pain to subside, hating the feeling of blood flowing out of the new stab wound. This was going to delay his escape by a day at least, he thought angrily.

'You see, I wanted to make a deal, Yu,' Sebastian said conversationally. He seemed to have calmed down. Kanda looked up at him, not really caring what the demon would say. 'You help me erase the Order and I eat away the part of your soul that keeps you alive. No more reincarnations, just an eternity with your beloved Alma.'

Kanda looked away, not wanting the demon to know what he was thinking. He had learnt already that it seemed futile to hide, but he would be damned if he didn't try.

'However, it seems that things have changed and my master wants something else,' Sebastian added disdainfully and Kanda found himself unable to quench his curiosity, looking back at the demon. Fury boiled in him when he saw the damned thing holding Mugen.

'Now, before I free you, let me make something clear,' Sebastian said matter-of-factly. Kanda blinked away the black dots dancing in front of his vision. 'As we have agreed, I am more powerful than your average demon and thus I have the power to destroy Innocence. One false move on your part and you will say goodbye to your pretty katana forever,' the demon hissed and Kanda knew it was not an empty threat. He blinked and the demon was gone. Have I been hallucinating? But Mugen was gone as well. He blinked again and the demon was back, but without Mugen. What the hell?

Wordlessly, the demon removed the collar from around Kanda's neck and then uncuffed his wrists, catching him before he could crash against the floor. What the hell was happening? He found it hard to focus, with the black dots attacking his vision again and the words echoing in his head. Why was he free?

His vision turned hazy when as the demon carried him, bridal style, out of the room and up the stairs. Sun was shining outside, he noted numbly, when the darkness of the basement disappeared. He tried to blink his vision into focus, realising at some point that he had been deposited onto a soft bed. Did he lose consciousness just now? How much time has passed?

Gentle hands were removing his torn clothes, cleaning the blood off his skin and tending to the gaping stab wound in his stomach. Was he back in the Order? No, that was impossible, he was being held by that demon. But then why was he being tended to? "One false move on your part and you will say goodbye to your pretty katana forever," he heard in his head and realised the importance of those words. He might not be chained to the wall anymore, but his situation had hardly improved.

'Don't be stubborn and rest,' said the same, cold voice from before. A cool hand rested on his forehead and he realised he was running a fever. Too much blood loss, he thought, finding it impossible to keep his eyes open.


	9. The good, the bad and the un-dead

**Sorry for the somewhat long break! (if there were more comments I'd have pokes reminding me to post more *hint,hint* ;) )**

**The title of this chapter is also the title of an awesome song of The 69 Eyes, just in case you'd like to check out some new music while reading ;)**

* * *

**Ch. 9: The good, the bad and the un-dead**

When he woke up, Kanda was more than confused about his whereabouts. He was lying on a soft bed, tucked into warm covers that smelled of lavender. It wasn't a room he recognised, looking too comfortable to be the headquarters or the hospital and too expensive to be a hotel. Outside, the sun was setting, judging by the colour and the angle of the sunrays entering the room.

He closed his eyes again and tried to remember what has happened. For days he had been held in the basement, tortured by something that called itself a demon, or Sebastian, depending on the mood. He had been in a really bad state and then suddenly that thing said that he would be freed, Mugen taken "hostage" to ensure his cooperation.

His eyes snapped open and he tried to get up but sharp pain in his abdomen made him fall back onto the bed with a gasp. He had forgotten the newest stab wound. All the others were in various stages of healing but that one was still basically open and, damn it, the sudden move made it bleed again.

A soft knock echoed in the room and the door opened. Kanda turned to see the demon, dressed as usual in an impeccable tailcoat and a white shirt, entered the room, pushing a small cart in front of him. For a moment he wondered if he had gone crazy. Maybe the blood loss had finally resulted in some damage to the brain, or maybe he was simply dreaming.

'You have been unconscious for a bit more than twenty four hours,' the demon butler said smoothly, closing the door and pushing the cart closer to the bed. 'If we hurry, you will be able to accompany the young master for dinner and a small chat,' he added and disappeared behind another door. Kanda pinched his arm, hissing at the pang of pain it provoked. So he wasn't dreaming, was he?

The demon was back in the room with a large bowl of steaming, warm water. He was saying something about the stab wound not allowing a proper bath yet, but how he needed to look appropriate for the dinner with the young master. Kanda simply stared at him, until the demon pulled away the covers and propped him to sit against the pillows. When the hands reached to undo the sleeping gown he was wearing, he slapped them away as hard as he could.

'What the hell do you think you're doing?' he asked furiously. Sebastian smirked at him.

'No need to be shy, Yu,' he said mockingly. 'After all it was me who changed you out of those tattered rags that had once been your uniform. I'll clean you up and re-bandage your wounds. Some of them still need a bit of attention although I'm sure they will all be gone by tomorrow, if you eat something and rest another night. Except possibly the most recent one, but it will not take long either,' he said in a patient tone, sounding as though he was trying to be reassuring. Kanda stared at him, trying to understand what has happened to provoke such a change. 'After your wounds are taken care of, I'll help you dress up and take you to the dining room.'

Too confused and tired, Kanda offered no more protest when the demon undid the sleeping gown, scoffing at the bloodied bandages. He allowed himself to be awkwardly washed with a wet cloth and for his wounds to be dressed again. He simply rested against the pillows when the demon went away to get rid of the water.

I need to get out of here as soon as possible, he thought. Whatever happened to change the treatment, I'm not going to wait till they snap out of it. "One false move on your part and you will say goodbye to your pretty katana forever," he remembered and cursed internally. He needed go find Mugen first.

'You seem to be more awake,' Sebastian noted, entering the room again, making Kanda jump a bit on the bed. 'It will do you good to remember that you shouldn't try anything stupid, lest you want your Innocence gone for good,' he added. Kanda glared at him only to be thrown off balance by the clothes the demon was holding.

'What is it? You don't like green?' the demon asked. Kanda's tired brain tried to catch up with the demon. It really wasn't the colour that was the problem, but the style, yet somehow the words would not leave his mouth. 'Fine, I'll try to find something black for you. Maybe it will be for the best, since the young master is wearing green today,' the demon added and turned back to the huge wardrobe that Kanda hadn't even noticed previously. Was this some sort of a joke? He watched how the demon chose other clothes and turned back to him.

'This should suit your tastes better, shouldn't it?' the demon asked, showing him what he had chosen: black pants and a black, short-sleeved, silk shirt with a standing collar and a couple of ornamental buttons to the left. Wordlessly, almost like he was a doll, Kanda allowed himself to be dressed. His mind was rebelling at the procedure but he found himself too shocked to protest. Even when the demon brushed his hair and styled it like Kanda used to wear it, he didn't protest.

'You're awfully quiet, Yu,' Sebastian noted when he was done. 'Can't you believe that we can be welcoming?' he chuckled. 'After all, you have graduated to a potential ally of Earl Phantomhive. It would not do to have you treated badly.'

"A potential ally?" Kanda repeated in his head. Was that demon out of his mind? Like he was ever going to ally himself with a demon! However, again he said nothing, wishing suddenly that he was allowed to sleep again. His body needed time to regenerate.

'Stop that,' he protested when Sebastian lifted him up, bridal style. He did his best to ignore the feeling of heat on his cheeks, knowing that he must be blushing. 'I can walk myself,' he added, trying to push himself off, but the demon held tightly.

'That's very cute of you to be shy again,' Sebastian mocked. 'It will be faster if I carry you and the young master doesn't like to be kept waiting,' he added in a more serious tone. 'If you keep struggling, you'll just tear the stitches on your wound and ruin the shirt with your blood.'

'Shut up,' Kanda gritted out, knowing that the demon was right. He knew also that it would be very painful to walk right now, but he could hardly admit that out loud. He gave up resisting in favour of trying to memorise the way to the dining room, should he ever get the chance to get out of the manor.

Once they have arrived, Sebastian deposited him on a comfortable chair in front of a rectangular table, prepared for only two people: one at each end. The door opposite of him opened and he watched Ciel Phantomhive enter, nodding a polite greeting at him, while the butler announced that, for the sake of their guest, he had prepared a menu that would be easy on the stomach. Kanda still wondered if that was some sort of a sick joke, but the butler continued by serving them delicious looking starters and pouring water into the crystal glasses, before retreating behind his master's chair.

'It is not poisoned,' Ciel informed him, taking the cutlery with graceful, well-practiced moves. Kanda glanced at the fork and knife on the sides of his plate: when was the last time that he had tried to use that? With a sigh, he reached for the cutlery and resigned himself to eating the meal while the despicable demon was smirking at him.

The worst thing was that the food was genuinely good. He hasn't enjoyed western food that much ever in his life. Thus, he ate everything he was given, declining only the dessert because sweets reminded him of that irritating Noah he had fought in the Arc. Ciel, looking thoroughly irritated, waved the dessert away as well and leaned forward, to put his elbows on the table, propping his chin on his folded fingers. He reminded Kanda of Road Kamelot.

'Well then, let me tell you why you are here, exorcist,' the boy said in a pleasant tone.

'Isn't it because your pet demon was bored, midget?' Kanda asked, forcing on a mocking tone. He absolutely hated feeling helpless, so he was going to irritate the brat to at least get some satisfaction out of the situation. Behind the boy, Sebastian hid a smirk behind his hand, while the little lord scoffed.

'I'm attempting to be polite here, exorcist,' he pointed out coldly, leaning back in the chair. Kanda was grateful, because he didn't want to be looking at a Noah-like figure. 'It has been brought to my attention that I and the Black Order have the same enemies,' Ciel continued, seeming to get straight to business. 'Rather than letting us pursue our goals separately, I would rather join our forces.'

'See if I care, midget,' Kanda replied. For all he cared, the Order could go down in flames, even though- he stopped himself before he could think about the people he had grudgingly come to call "friends".

'Yes, well, your caring is not required exorcist,' Ciel informed him, his tone even colder than before. Very obviously, the earl was not used to people interrupting him or not agreeing with him. 'I am only telling you what is going to happen and what you are going to do, so that I can successfully cooperate with your supervisors.'

'So first you have your butler torture me and then you want me to help you?' Kanda asked, not leaving the smallest doubt as to what he thought about the idea. The boy across the table from him looked like he was regretting to have started the conversation.

'It will be useful if you don't mention your stay here,' Ciel pointed out. 'Your friends had come to ask for my help in searching for you. I have already arranged with an associate of mine to provide a good cover, should they go to verify my words but, for all purposes, Sebastian had just saved you from Chinese smugglers. If you struggle too much I'm going to make those smugglers human traffickers, working for a local brothel and I'll make sure that your friends all know that, so shut up and listen,' the boy finished with a hiss, efficiently subduing Kanda into silence. Regardless of the situation, the jokes at how pretty his face is would never cease after such an "adventure". Plus, he needed to get Mugen back.

'Young master is in a bad mood today,' the butler noticed, earning a sharp glare.

'Shut up, demon, and bring out that flying thing,' the boy ordered. With a bow, Sebastian retrieved Kanda's communication golem. Kanda's eyes widened as he realised that the thing was intact, minus broken wings. 'Now, exorcist, you will call your comrades and say that I want to talk with somebody responsible, regarding a cooperation to destroy the Noah clan,' the boy added. With a smirk, Sebastian threw the golem to Kanda, who caught it and looked at it speculatively. How much would he manage to say to whoever would be listening before the demon would have the time to shut him up?

'One false move,' the demon whispered into his ear, making Kanda nearly jump out of his skin in shock. When had it even moved?! 'Now do as the young master says.'

Resigned, Kanda flipped the on button and listened to a moment of static, before the familiar voice of Marie called out his name. At least Marie was alive, he thought, pushing away the relief that threatened to overwhelm him.

'Yeah, it's me,' he said, forcing on a cold tone.

'Thank God, Kanda,' Marie exclaimed. Yeah, you could say that, Kanda thought bitterly. 'We were so worried. Where are you?'

'The Phantomhive manor,' he replied swiftly.

'What? Well, we'll pick you up immediately,' Marie said after a moment of confused silence. However, even without Sebastian's hand on his shoulder, Kanda knew that it wasn't an option.

'Wait, Marie,' he called before the other man could connect to somebody else. 'The midget wants to talk to somebody with decisive power, about an alliance against the Noah clan,' he said quickly, hating himself for being used like that. 'The supervisor can call my golem, but arrange the meeting on a neutral ground, Marie,' he added, hissing when the hand on his shoulder tightened its grip.

'Are you alright, Kanda?' Marie asked immediately. Did that mean that his hearing was alright? Kanda hoped it did. Forcing on his usual, cold tone, he replied that he was fine. He would have to hope that Komui had enough brains to not charge in unarmed, and that he had enough brains to not be too obviously armed either. Sebastian switched the golem off.

'Let's make it clear, exorcist,' Ciel said coldly. 'You and your Order will have a simple choice: either you help me and we get rid of the Noah together, or I will have to manage on my own and, when I'm done, Sebastian descends upon the Order like a nightmare. He had made it clear that following your soul would be easy, so don't fool yourself than you can hide.'

'And we are supposed to trust you to not set your pet demon onto us afterwards anyway?' Kanda asked coldly. Ciel smirked.

'Of course I won't be saying it to them like that, don't be silly… Yu,' he said in a mockingly sweet tone. 'I'm just telling you that so that you don't do anything to endanger my deal. As for trust,' he trailed of and shrugged. Kanda took a deep breath to calm himself. 'I suppose I can just order him to leave you alone,' the boy added, an ugly smile twisting his face. Kanda didn't miss the fuming fury that flashed in Sebastian's eyes at that statement.

'Young master might be going too far,' Sebastian growled after a moment, but Ciel only laughed shortly. 'After our deal is concluded, I have no obligations to follow young master's orders.'

'But you will, won't you? You don't lie, so if you promise to do something you will keep that promise, even when I am gone,' the boy pointed out calmly and emotionlessly. After a moment of silence, the butler bowed. Gone? Kanda looked between the demon and its master, remembering Sebastian's stories. Was the demon really going to eat the boy's soul? He shuddered at that thought, even as it brought Sebastian's other words to his mind.

'Take our guest to his bedroom and make sure that he has everything he needs,' Ciel spoke, shattering the silence. 'I'll wait for you in the library,' he added and left the dining room without a single look at either of them. Kanda watched him go, wondering how it would feel to have the certainty that he would die once his task was finished.

'Well then,' Sebastian muttered after the door closed behind Ciel. Kanda glanced at him before looking away, wondering if he dared to speak up. The demon stilled, as though waiting for whatever he wanted to say, acting the role of a polite servant.

'If I cooperate with you,' he said quietly, deciding to just go for it, before his resolve would melt. 'Would you make me mortal?' he asked, hating how childish the question sounded.

'Would you like to make a deal with the devil, exorcist?' Sebastian asked back, his tone mocking. Kanda scoffed and closed his eyes. What the hell was he thinking to even suggest such a thing?

'No,' he said firmly, stiffening when the demon picked him up for the third time. Silence enveloped them as the demon made his way out of the dining room and down the long corridor. In the meantime, Kanda tried to forget that their conversation ever took place. However, if the Order had help with the Noah then maybe they would also manage to remove the Millennium Earl and finally win that bloody war. What would they do with their almost immortal weapon then? He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

'Occasionally, demons can show mercy,' Sebastian said quietly. Kanda pretended to not hear, even though his heart beat faster for a moment. 'If it will still be your wish, I can make you mortal once the fight is won,' he added. Kanda took in a deep, shuddering breath.


	10. Come, ride with me

**Neil: thanks. I suppose Ciel is a better actor recently (at least when things go his way).**

**Changing bands ;) The title of this chapter is from Muse's amazing "Knights of Cydonia"!**

* * *

**Ch. 10: Come, ride with me**

Allen was half listening to Komui briefing him for the next mission. It was a simple task of retrieving Innocence that the Finders had located. This time even they were pretty sure that it wasn't a hoax but the real thing, which didn't happen all that often as far as Allen had witnessed.

'That will be it,' Komui finished, smiling a fake smile. On his face, Allen could clearly see the stress in which the supervisor lived, waiting for the headquarters to be attacked. Now that all the defences were in place, the only thing they could do was wait and it was eating away at everybody, slowly but surely.

'Komui!' he heard from the corridor and, seconds later, Marie charged into the office in a completely uncharacteristic for him manner. 'Komui! I've found Kanda,' he exclaimed. His enthusiasm reminded Allen that there were people who genuinely considered the sullen Japanese as a good friend. Komui jumped up from his seat.

'Where is he? Is he alright? How did you find him?' he asked in a rapid succession. Allen laughed, relief flooding him as he realised that their horrible adventure would have a happy end. However, the uncertain expression on Marie's face stopped the laughter short. Kanda was alright, wasn't he?

'He's in the Phantomhive manor and he sounded alright, if a bit stressed,' Marie said, sounding more serious. 'He said that Earl Phantomhive wants to meet with "somebody with decisive power" about a possibility of fighting the Noah together,' he added. Allen and Komui looked at him and then shared a worried glance.

'I'm pretty sure we haven't mentioned Noah to him, when we met,' Allen said carefully. 'I don't think Kanda would have said anything either, unless they have met a Noah wherever they have found him,' he added.

'In any case, rather than having you two pick him up, I guess I have to go,' Komui commented after a moment of silence that had followed Allen's statement.

'He said to arrange the meeting on neutral ground,' Marie added and Allen felt a chill go down his spine. Was there any reason to think that the Phantomhive manor was not neutral ground? The worried expression on Marie's face mirrored his thoughts and Komui sat back down.

'Let's start from the beginning,' he suggested. Marie and Allen also sat down and Marie said that he was simply walking around, trying to find a trace or a rumour that would lead him on. Suddenly, his golem, which had been set to receive Kanda's golem's frequency, activated. He summarised their conversation, including the smell hiss he had heard and his thoughts about it. After he had finished, Komui stayed motionless, lost in deep thoughts.

Could he have made a mistake by asking Ciel Phantomhive's help? Allen didn't like that thought. However, Kanda seemed to be alright and, even if he was held against his will, they knew at least where to look for him.

'Very well,' Komui spoke, snapping Allen out of his thoughts. 'Let's meet the Earl Phantomhive in the park,' he suggested. 'It's an open space, where we can fight easily if necessary. Although, from what you have said about that kid, I don't think it will be necessary. After all, we have no problems with the Queen.'

'I'm going with you,' Allen offered immediately, not missing the small smirk on Komui's face as the supervisor inclined his head.

'Yes you are, you and Lavi,' he informed him. 'I will also have my golem on and Marie will be listening, in case there would be problems, while Miranda will be stationed nearby, ready to activate the Time Record, should we need it. Hopefully she can keep her calm and we will never need her help anyway.'

'Do you think that the kid is planning something?' Marie asked.

'Kanda wouldn't have said to meet on neutral ground for nothing, would he?' Komui pointed out. Marie nodded in agreement, while Allen thought that whatever had happened must have been terrifying for Kanda to utter any kind of warning. 'Besides, from what you said, it seems like he didn't have the freedom of speech, so we have to assume the worst.'

'When shall we go?' Allen asked, getting up. He was ready to move immediately, although it was already pretty late in the evening. Komui glanced at the clock and suggested to call the golem in the morning. In the meantime, he said, they could have a spy go to the manor to see for any suspicious activity.

With that, Allen and Marie were dismissed to go and eat a dinner and get some good rest before the following day. They were also charged with the task of informing Lavi and Miranda that their assistance would be needed, probably the following day. On the way to the canteen, they decided to not tell anybody about the nature of the mission yet, to keep everything calm. It proved to be more difficult than Allen expected, especially when he had to face Lenalee's continued sadness.

Allen ended up going to sleep early and getting up even earlier, rushing through his morning routine and racing to Komui's office. Unsurprisingly, the supervisor and Marie were already there, dialling Kanda's golem's number on his phone. They shared a grim smile and Komui put the call on loudspeaker.

'Hello?' asked a voice that Allen immediately recognised. Before Komui had time to demand the person to identify himself, Allen spoke, hoping that the supervisor would forgive him his rudeness.

'Hello Sebastian,' he called, forcing on a cheerful tone. Why the hell was that man operating the golem? 'It's Allen speaking, I'm so glad to hear that you have found Kanda,' he added. A chuckle got transmitted through the golem.

'Hello Allen,' the voice said, sounding relaxed and happy. 'Are you calling about the meeting with Earl Phantomhive?' it asked after a moment of silence.

'Where is Kanda?' Komui asked, not sounding impressed by Sebastian's presence on the other end of the line. Sebastian asked back for the identity of the speaker, to which Allen explained that Komui was the person with decisive powers, who was going to meet the earl.

'Well then, it's a pleasure to hear from you Mr Lee. Mr Kanda is still sleeping, although if you insist, I can wake him up,' Sebastian said pleasantly. 'He had given me the golem in the evening, in case you would call early today,' he added. Allen couldn't quite imagine Kanda doing that, but he said nothing, waiting for Komui to speak. Then again, there was a chance that Kanda had been hurt and was resting, in which case it would be logical to give the golem to somebody else.

'We are hoping to see him on the meeting,' Komui replied after a moment of hesitation. Sebastian assured him that Kanda was looking forward to the meeting and asked whether they had any preferences.

})i({

Walking through the park, following his young master and the exorcist, Sebastian found it hard to hide his smile. The dark-haired woman sitting on the bench was very obviously following their every step as they neared the meeting point. Sebastian would bet anything that she was with the Order.

Kanda avoided even glancing at her as he walked stiffly half a step behind the young master, looking more than uncomfortable to be out without his katana. When they were getting ready to leave Sebastian simply told him that he would have to trust in his protection, should something happen. The Japanese wasn't impressed, going as far as threatening to disembowel Sebastian should something happen to the katana. The demon accepted his terms with a smile, promising that the katana would be safe where it was.

'They have come prepared,' Ciel noted as they have passed the woman on the bench. 'I like people who are cautious,' he added.

'And yet you walk with me behind your back,' Kanda replied venomously. Sebastian smirked: since the morning, the exorcist did his best to be a nuisance, especially after finding out that he wasn't going to be given his Innocence back, which implied that he was going to come back to the manor after the meeting.

'Sebastian is behind you,' Ciel reminded him in a careless tone. 'That is all the protection I need,' he added. 'Besides: how is your abdomen?'

'It's healed,' Kanda growled. If he didn't know better, Sebastian could think that those two were siblings, with the way they acted. Thankfully the young master had no siblings: the very thought of having to care for more than one annoying, arrogant, careless brat was enough to give Sebastian a headache.

'I see Allen Walker and the other one, Lavi, wasn't it?' he said, before Ciel could reply to the exorcist. He had only once made the mistake of letting them continue a conversation. 'Who is the third person?' he asked.

'Didn't you say you talked to him in the morning?' Kanda asked testily. When Sebastian only glared at him, he told them that the third one was the one with decisive power. Sebastian didn't miss the slightly disapproving tone of his voice. So Kanda didn't work well with authority? It didn't come as a surprise, he thought with a smirk, studying the Chinese man carefully, as they made their way to the trio. Hopefully he wouldn't be upset by the "Chinese smugglers" who had kidnapped Kanda.

Allen Walker and Lavi jumped up from the bench on which they were sitting, looking as though they wanted to hug their comrade. Kanda stiffened, seeming even less comfortable now that the meeting was starting and that seemed to stop the two in their tracks.

'It's good to see that you got alright through everything,' Allen said with a genuine smile, to which Kanda scoffed and muttered a "whatever", before asking if everybody else was alright. Allen's face brightened. 'Yeah, we were only worried for you but, as usual, I see that it was needlessly.'

'Yu is just that awesome,' Lavi commented with a laugh. Even though Sebastian could interpret it as an expression of happiness, the Japanese twitched angrily. Finally, the Chinese man stood up and smiled, probably to greet his exorcist as well, but his smile froze when his eyes landed on Kanda.

'Where is Mugen?' were the first words he spoke. Kanda looked away, while the other two exorcists seemed to just notice the absence of the katana. Had they been that worried about their friend? It was good to know, in case they would be forced to hold Kanda as a hostage, Sebastian supposed.

'We're still looking for it,' Sebastian said smoothly. 'It seems that the smugglers have managed to sell it before we have located Yu,' he added, not missing the surprised glances he got from the delegation of the Order, even more so when Kanda didn't react in any way to the use of his first name. He supposed that Kanda wanted to avoid the topic of his katana the most possible, thus decided to let it slide.

'Mugen got sold?' the three exclaimed in horror, when the news sank in. Kanda gritted his teeth, but said nothing, while Ciel only looked, seemingly bored. Sebastian had to admit that Kanda's response worked well with the cover story, so he allowed himself an internal, triumphal smile. He suggested that they sit and start discussing the topic of the current meeting, because the young master was a busy person.

'Wait, no', Allen protested. 'Mugen missing is more important than anything else,' he added, sounding genuinely distressed. It wasn't exactly going the way Sebastian wanted and he wondered if there was anything else they could have done.

'Shut it, beansprout,' Kanda growled, looking away again. Allen looked hurt and surprised, but didn't say anything more, opting only to look at his comrade carefully. The other two exchanged worried glances and Sebastian realised that it was the seed of doubt that he had wanted to avoid at all costs. He should have expected that Kanda was no actor.

'Please, do not worry,' Ciel interjected calmly, coldly. The three people they were meeting looked at him. 'There is nothing in the underground world that I cannot trace, so we will for sure find that katana shortly. For the time being, I would like to know who I am talking with.'

'Ah yes, of course,' the "decisive power" said as though woken from a dream. 'My name is Komui Lee and I'm the supervisor of the main branch of the Black Order. I'm afraid that it's as good as you get and I might have to consult my supervisors, depending of the nature of your proposition.'

'Very well, Mr Lee,' Ciel replied. 'My proposition is simple: I would like to help you getting rid of the Noah clan,' he said. Sebastian didn't miss the glances the three had exchanged, nor the glances they had sent towards Kanda, who was still stubbornly looking away from everybody.

'May we know how and what do you know about the Noah clan?' Komui asked in a cautious tone. Ciel scoffed and said that Sebastian did some research for him, when he had stumbled upon the name in his own investigation. 'And what were you investigating?' Komui insisted. For a moment, Sebastian thought that Ciel was going to have the man killed then and there.

'The deaths of my parents,' the boy said finally, earning shocked gasps from Komui and the two exorcists. Sebastian could see, from the determined gleam in Allen's eyes, that this answer had instantaneously won over Allen's support for Ciel's case. Lavi also seemed to sympathise, although a bit less emotionally, if his expression was to be trusted.

'A Noah is responsible for the deaths of your parents?' Komui repeated, to which Ciel only nodded curtly. 'I'm really sorry to hear that. The Black Order is doing its best to remove them, but I'm not sure if there's anything you can do to help,' he added, sounding honestly sorry to hear about Ciel's situation. Sebastian could tell that he really wished there was anything he could do to help. He was in for a small surprise, should he ever find out how heartless the boy really was.

'Me not, Sebastian will join your forces to get rid of the Noah with your help,' Ciel replied coldly, making Komui recoil. Sebastian wished he had said it in a more suggestive, less "I tell you what will happen" way, but he couldn't expect too much from his young master. 'I know you fight demons, but the Noah are human. With his speed and strength, Sebastian can counter their special abilities.'

Komui seemed speechless. He was looking between Ciel and Sebastian for a moment and then glanced at his two companions, who looked troubled. The demon looked back at him politely, waiting for the decision. So far his and the young master's plan was going well, but there really was no way to predict the reaction of the Black Order to the suggestion.

'It's true that he held his ground against Kanda the other day,' Allen said finally. Sebastian smirked at the memory. Kanda didn't react, which was probably the reason behind the weird glances Lavi and Komui were shooting his way. Would the Japanese protest normally? Sebastian hoped that the man wasn't that easy to break as to lose his personality after the little ordeal he had put him through.

'And Kanda did get rid of Skin Boric,' Lavi commented after a moment and Sebastian looked at the Japanese with new respect, recognising the name from his little research. It was also very useful information, since it gave him at least some estimation about the Noah's abilities.

'Such a request,' Komui started after a long moment of silence. 'I cannot make a decision just like that, on the spot,' he added. Sebastian scowled: wrong answer. Ciel scoffed.

'Sebastian will set out to defeat the Noah as soon as he can get a fix on their position,' the boy said. 'He will do so with or without your help,' he added. The three jumped up, protesting that Ciel couldn't send his butler against those people unprepared and alone. Sebastian decided that mentioning that Kanda would probably go with him wouldn't be smart, so he only smirked when the Japanese twitched at the words of his comrades. The protests went on for a while as Ciel looked at the exorcists unimpressed.

'I don't think the Order is in the position to say "no" to any offer of help at this point,' Kanda spoke finally, shocking his comrades into silence. 'If this,' he winced. 'If this man is willing to risk his life helping us than maybe it's time to try and end this war?' he asked. Sebastian fought to not laugh at the forced tone with which Kanda said "man". He wondered if Kanda took Ciel's side for his own, selfish reasons or if he really wanted the war done and over with. Whichever it was, his words seemed to do their job.

'And you think that he can be of help?' Komui asked seriously. Kanda glared hatefully at Sebastian, who did his best to keep a neutral, innocent expression when a smirk was begging to twist his lips. After the longest moment, Kanda looked away.

'Yeah, I do,' he said quietly. Allen said something about Sebastian having saved Kanda after all and thus being good for sure. The demon almost laughed.

'I need to talk with the other exorcists,' Komui said finally. Ciel scoffed again, while Sebastian fought to keep the scowl off his face. 'They are the ones risking their lives, so I cannot make such a decision without consulting them. Also, I need to know how many we can mobilise in a short time-'

'Very well,' Ciel cut him, getting up. 'We will be reachable through that golem, once you make your decision,' he added. Sebastian got up and, after a moment of hesitation, so did Kanda, with a resigned sort of expression.

'Where are you going, Yu?' Lavi asked, surprised. The question earned him a furious glare before Kanda closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

'I need to get Mugen back,' he said quietly.


	11. When God falls asleep on the job

**Neil: The Millenium Earl and Sebastian are "real" demons, Noah are still human. As for Kanda's behaviour… He does need Mugen back, right? And that meeting was "seen" from Sebastian's point of view, so no alarm bells there, only in this chapter =)**

**A second title from Muse's awesome "Knights of Cydonia"!**

* * *

**Ch. 11: When God falls asleep on the job**

After Kanda had so surprisingly left with the earl and his butler, the exorcists hadn't stayed long in the park. Komui had only waited for Miranda to report that the earl's carriage had left to ask her to pull back and go to the headquarters. Through his golem, through which Marie had secretly been listening to the meeting, he had asked the man to wait for them in his office and, together with Allen and Lavi, they had left the park.

Their trip to the headquarters had gone in silence, only broken by Komui asking the generals and exorcists to gather in his office in two hours' time. All the way, Allen had wondered whether the supervisor was seriously considering the proposition and why the hell Kanda hadn't gone back with them. He hadn't expected that.

Nobody said a word until they reached the office, where Marie was already waiting for them with a serious expression on his face. He twitched when they entered, but said nothing as Lavi and Allen settled next to him on the sofa and Komui took his seat behind his cluttered desk.

'What did you think about Kanda's behaviour, Marie?' the supervisor asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence that filled the office. Allen thought that he wasn't the only one confused about the outcome of the meeting. 'You know him best, after all,' Komui added, even though it wasn't necessary. The blind man sighed. Lavi sat a bit straighter on the sofa and looked at Marie intently.

'He was seemed very stressed for all the wrong reasons,' Marie said. 'Forget the fact that he just left with them quietly and didn't once react to being called by his given name. He should be freaked out by Mugen gone missing, since that blade is the most important thing in the world for him,' he added.

'I thought so too,' Komui muttered. Allen agreed with them, but he wasn't sure what that implied. If Kanda had somehow known where the blade was, he wouldn't be waiting around idly, would he? He looked from Komui to Marie and then at Lavi, when the red-head asked if it wasn't obvious.

'What do you mean?' he asked back, thoughts racing. Lavi smiled sadly.

'I mean that they both know where Mugen is, at least to a certain degree in the case of Kanda. When that butler found Kanda, he must have taken Mugen and hid it,' he said quietly. It made perfect sense, but, at the same time, it made no sense at all. Marie muttered something that sounded vaguely like "bastards".

'To what end?' Allen asked, feeling like he was the only one not catching up with the situation.

'I suppose it's not difficult to guess,' Komui muttered. If the situation hadn't been that serious, Allen would have complained about them making him feel stupid. 'That boy has an issue with the Noah. Accidentally, he meets people who can fight them and he's even asked to help and find one of those people. So he thinks: if the Order is so desperate as to ask outsiders for help than it's likely that the Order will do a lot to get the exorcist back.'

'He's using Kanda to blackmail us?' Allen gasped, as everything suddenly fell into place. By holding Mugen, Ciel had the power over Kanda, who would do everything to get his katana back. Holding Kanda hostage, Ciel had leverage over the Order.

'By the central administration, Kanda is seen as a valuable weapon that should not fall in the hands of others,' Lavi added. Allen glared at him for even voicing such a statement: however unpleasant, Kanda was a person. Marie muttered something under his breath when Komui agreed with that statement. 'They will order us to retrieve him at all costs.'

'Until they hear about the earl's proposition,' Komui protested bitterly. Allen thought back to the words of the little boy, about how Sebastian would help them fight the Noah. He couldn't help but wonder what one man could hope to achieve against that clan. Then again, Kanda seemed to think that Sebastian was a valuable ally. 'To them the possibility of finally ending the war will be too much of a temptation,' the supervisor added. Silence fell in the room.

'Do you think that this butler would really go against the Noah on his own?' Allen asked finally, unable to sit in the silence anymore. He didn't really want to believe it, but the earl didn't really look like he was joking.

'Of course not,' the supervisor said. 'No man can hope to defeat those monsters and that butler didn't look like an idiot. That's why they need Kanda. At least he looked to be fine,' he added pensively. 'Not that it's easy to judge, with his regeneration abilities.'

'He was walking a bit stiffly,' Lavi noted and Allen nodded. Even though it had been barely visible, the lack of the swordsman's usual grace was so obvious it almost hurt. 'Though of course whoever was holding him against his will must have done something to subdue him.'

Allen winced. With Kanda healing almost instantaneously, the "subduing" must have been particularly painful. Not to mention the fact that the healing probably awoke the sadistic side of the aggressors. Allen had seen that happen once. He tried not to think too hard about it, grateful that the arrival of Lenalee provided a distraction.

'So will you finally say what you have been up to just now?' she asked as soon as she stepped through the door. Komui looked at her, surprise clearly written across her face. 'Don't give me that look, brother,' she scolded. 'Yesterday Allen and Marie were so jumpy it was impossible to have a conversation and today you all disappear without saying anything to anybody. Don't think I don't notice those things, so you better tell me everything.'

'Why don't we wait till everybody gathers and that way they can explain it once and for all?' Miranda suggested, entering the office. Of course, she knew about everything, having been in the park and all. Of course, she was also a bad actress and it took Lenalee one glance at the shy woman to realise that there were even more people let in on the secret. She was about to protest against the unfair treatment, but the generals took that moment to file in, one by one, followed by all the other exorcists currently residing in the headquarters.

Allen couldn't help thinking that they weren't all that many. Maybe Kanda had been right when he said that the Order was in no position to say "no" to any offer of help? It was a sad thought, especially when that help would be in form of a single man. Thankfully, before his thoughts turned even more pessimistic, Komui cleared his throat, getting all the attention.

'The Order has been given an interesting proposition today,' he started in a clear and serious tone. 'I know that the central will order us to go through with it, but it is you lot who will be risking your lives, so I'm going to ask you first,' he added. Allen could see that he had everybody's undivided attention.

})i({

With a smirk, he looked up at the building he had found at the destination. Finding his target, as ordered by the young master, hadn't been even half as difficult as he had expected. All he had needed to do was to follow the stench of pitiful demons to find a beautiful mansion that could easily compete with Phantomhive manor. Not that he expected anything different from his annoying brother.

He closed his eyes briefly and morphed into his true form, not wanting to give away his current position or contractor. At least not until he had to, he amended, taking a look around the mansion. A couple of "powerful" demons patrolled the grounds, but Sebastian ignored them as he walked closer to the building and the pathetic creatures cowered away as soon as they felt his presence. The satisfaction he felt was irritating. What else could he have expected anyway?

Nobody came to stop him or ask about his aim. Self-assured, he walked into the building, not needing anybody to tell him where his brother was. He could feel the damned devil's spawn, just like his brother had probably felt his presence the very moment Sebastian neared the mansion. So much for a surprise visit, but with a family like that, it was a useful skill.

He crossed the corridors in confident strides, shadows stirring in his wake. Black feathers fluttered in the air as he willed the door open and entered the room where his brother was. He immediately noted that his brother didn't bother with taking the real form, rather opting to remain the fat, grinning thing that was called the Millennium Earl.

'You are such a show off, brother,' the weird creature-mask greeted in a voice that grated on Sebastian's nerves. He forced himself not to wince, because in his current form, it would be too visible. The creature-mask cackled, its face not even twitching. 'To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you here?' it asked.

'I have a deal for you,' Sebastian said, keeping his inhuman voice smooth and tempting. He had decided, upon seeing the creature-mask, that he would cut straight to the business to spend as little time as possible with the annoying thing that had the guts to call itself the creator of demons. The Earl laughed and prompted him to continue, sounding as though he was having the time of his life. 'By my current contractor, I am obliged to kill all your Noah,' he stated, enjoying how his brother recoiled. He laughed and the demonic sound echoed off the walls of the large, empty room.

'Why would you come and give me a forewarning?' the Earl asked when the laughter subsided. Sebastian allowed a smile to twist his face, perfectly aware of the nasty feeling it gave of. The Earl, however, seemed to be undisturbed this time.

'I will do it regardless of their struggling and there is nothing you can do to stop me, unless you would like to challenge me for a duel yourself,' Sebastian said, letting his voice be smooth and cold again. 'However, if you make it easy for me and gather all them in one place, I will arrive with a gift for you,' he interrupted the Earl. 'A bribe, you could say,' he added.

'How would you like to bribe me to betray my family?' his brother asked, trying to sound insulted, but Sebastian only laughed again. He wasn't going to be fooled by the act, knowing that his brother cared about the Noah in the same way as he cared for most of his contractors.

'I will come with the Black Order,' he said simply. His brother stared, his surprise visible even on the insane mask he wore as face.

'You sure are full of surprises, brother dear,' the Earl said finally, seeming to be perplexed but thoughtful. 'The Black Order had been a thorn in my side for more years than I care to count. How did you happen upon them?'

'This is not important,' Sebastian said firmly. 'What should interest you is that I can bring them to you, wherever you want, on the day we agree on. Once I arrive with them, you can do as you wish.'

'As long as I let you kill my Noah,' his brother amended, still sounding thoughtful. Sebastian nodded slightly. 'You are a true temptation, brother,' he added and Sebastian smiled slightly, knowing that he had won. It wasn't all that difficult to tempt his brother, who loved cruelty and irony above everything else. Besides, they were devils and their favourite pastime was to play with the fragile and irrelevant beings that humans were.

'My current contractor is, of course, off limits for your Noah and demons and should there be one scratch on him, we will talk differently,' Sebastian added threateningly and the shadows behind him thickened. His brother, however, only laughed and said that there was no need to be overprotective and that he would not dare to touch the soul marked by his older brother. Of course, Sebastian was confident that he would be able to still protect his little master, but one could never be too careful with precious souls.

'Well, brother, let's have a game then. In three days, I have planned a meeting with my Noah here,' his brother said, a nasty smirk as audible in his voice as it was invisible on the mask he wore over his face. 'My precious Noah pride themselves for being invincible and I am most curious how they will face your superhuman strength. For I assume you shall come dressed up, if you plan to bring those pathetic demon-hunters,' he added.

'Very well then, in three days I shall arrive with the exorcists,' Sebastian agreed with a pleasant smile on his own, demonic face.

})i({

It was with mixed feelings that Kanda received the decision of the Order concerning the earl's proposition. On one hand he had expected it from the beginning, on the other, he didn't like the fact that Sebastian had so easily fixed the location of the Noah. He couldn't see what the demon would get for setting up the Order into a trap but since when did demons need reasons? Even if Sebastian was a rather peculiar demon, as far as Kanda could see, he still was one.

He looked up when the demon entered "his" room on the day they would leave the manor finally. Whenever it was in vicinity, he made a point to keep his eyes in it, waiting for the smallest sign of a threat. This time, however, his attention was swiftly distracted, because the demon was holding Mugen, which looked to have fared well its time hidden away. With all his will, Kanda forced himself to not move or express his displeasure at the fact that a demon was holding his Mugen.

'I see that it is possible to train even you,' Sebastian mocked, extending a gloved hand that held Mugen towards him. 'I will miss our little power games, exorcist, but it's time to go now,' he added, while Kanda took the blade as slowly as he dared, pretending that he wasn't desperate to check on it. He knew it was pointless to hide his emotions from Sebastian, but he would rather die than give up on his act. Wordlessly, he drew Mugen and inspected it carefully.

'The young master wishes that you take on the Noah named Tykki Mikk,' the demon said, watching Kanda give the blade a swing. As always, it felt like an extension of his hand and he breathed an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.

'Why him? Why me?' he asked, yet again wondering how Sebastian could be sure that the Noah would all gather in a random mansion.

'The young master seems to have faith in your skills, seeing as you had managed to stand up to me when we had first met,' the demon said with a polite smile. Kanda activated Mugen and pointed its tip at Sebastian's chest in one graceful, fluent motion. The demon's smile turned into a smirk, but it didn't react otherwise, continuing to answer instead. 'As for the reason to choose this particular Noah, you must ask the young master.'

'That's hardly an answer,' Kanda growled, Mugen still pointed at the butler's chest. How he wished to slice through that demon! However, there was a half-promise stilling his hand and he hated himself for it more than anything.

'The young master hardly needs to explain his wishes to you,' Sebastian replied in a cold tone. 'Tykki Mikk and the Noah named Lulubell must be killed at all costs and the young master has chosen me and you to take care of it. Your precious Order will have its hands full with the other Noah, so they should not be jealous.'

Wordlessly, Kanda lowered and sheathed Mugen, strapping it to his belt. It was a reassuring weight at his side, one that he had missed dearly the last couple of days, and it calmed him in a way. In principle, he had nothing against having his target chosen for him and Tykki Mikk was one of the more difficult ones, as far as he knew. All things considered, it seemed reasonable that he would take care of him, so maybe it won't even need to be explained to the Order. Besides, Kanda was looking forward to showing the Noah how weak they were.

Without further hesitation, he left "his" room, hoping that he would never have to set foot in it again. The butler followed him, that annoying smirk still firmly plastered on his impeccable face. Kanda wished he could carve that smile away. Sadly, it was not an option for the moment.

Ciel joined them in the entrance hall, looking imperious and annoying, like always. Without a word, Sebastian bowed to his master and the boy left the building. Knowing that he was expected to follow, Kanda did so without hesitation. He climbed into to carriage and sat opposite to Ciel, slightly surprised when the demon closed the door behind him, rather than getting in as well.

'Even from the driver's seat he's fast enough to kill you before you manage anything,' Ciel said emotionlessly. Kanda glared at him but said nothing. He was not in the mood for another insult-throwing discussion, too preoccupied by what was going to happen. Besides, although he had only seen glimpses of Sebastian true powers, he didn't doubt that Ciel's words were true. Consequently, he kept quiet and so did the little earl, no more words exchanged between them until the carriage stopped.

'Sebastian had told you about the Noah?' Ciel asked, his voice as cold and indifferent as always. Kanda glared at him, not missing the gleam in the boy's eyes. If his story about the Noah murdering his parents was true, could it be that Lulubell and Tykki were personally responsible? He supposed it was the only explanation that made sense.

'You mean the fact that you want me to get rid of Tykki?' he asked back, keeping his tone impassive. Ciel nodded curtly.

'All you need to do is to keep close to Sebastian and he will take you to Tykki,' he informed him, his tone leaving no place for arguing. Kanda scowled, but the boy seemed to not care, so he didn't say anything.

Sebastian opened the carriage and held out a hand to help Ciel out, informing them that the Order was on the spot already. Kanda winced, wondering what they all would think if he stuck together with the demon, rather than going with them. Not that they knew Sebastian was a demon, he reminded himself, but still they must be expecting Kanda to join their ranks. Not sure if he wanted to know the answer, he got out of the carriage, unable to meet the eyes of the people who called themselves his friends for some reason. Was he ashamed of being so thoroughly manipulated by the demon? Or was it the nagging thought, the wish he had so carelessly spoken of, that made him afraid to look at them? Would they be able to read that wish from his expression? Would they even bother to try?

All those thoughts ceased when he took in the armies of demons that hovered above a large mansion to the west of where they were. It was doubtlessly their destination and it seemed that their arrival was expected.

'You bastard,' Kanda growled, turning to glare at the demon. He had no doubt that it was Sebastian's doing, yet the butler merely glanced at him with a mocking smirk.

'It's alright Kanda,' said Allen, trying to sound soothing. Kanda turned to look at him and recoiled at the expression the boy was giving him. It was an expression of one willing to go to his death for the greater good. 'We still get a chance to end this war and we are not going to waste it,' Allen added, his smile so fake that it hurt.

Hesitantly, he looked at the other exorcists, gathered behind the white-haired boy. Didn't they see that they have been betrayed? Lavi waved at him with a smirk, but his expression was the same. Was the bookman's apprentice ready to die for their cause or was it only for the show? Marie's hand on his shoulder made him turn to the man who, if others were "friends", could only be called "brother".

'Let's show those bastards what we're made of,' the blind man said firmly. Kanda wanted to ask if he realised how many demons there must be, but he knew it was a stupid question. Marie could hear them. This is literally what I was made for, he thought.

'I will go straight for the Noah,' he warned. Seemingly unsurprised, Marie immediately said that he would have his back, while Allen informed him that they all shared the tasks between them: who would go for the Noah and who would take care of demons. They had apparently expected the demons to be there anyway, although the numbers of the enemy were overwhelming their wildest nightmares. Allen said that they had changed their plans a bit upon arrival.

Next to the white-haired boy, Miranda readied her Time Record. Kanda took a step away.

'Keep me out of it,' he requested. 'I'm much better off dealing with my injuries one after the other,' he added as though to explain himself. She looked confused.

'But what if you die?' she asked. Kanda pursed his lips and pointed out that he wasn't going to die permanently anyway. In the awkward silence, Sebastian asked if Miranda could take Ciel with her, because the boy had no ways of protecting himself.

Kanda promised to himself that, if they had really been betrayed, the demon would pay.


	12. The day of wrath

**Dies Irae! (lit. day of wrath)**

* * *

**Ch. 12: The day of wrath**

Sebastian watched curiously, how the woman called Miranda braced herself and a flat disc on her wrist started to shine. The light encircled everybody except for Kanda and Sebastian, who had also hastily asked to not be included, lest it would betray his true nature. Afterwards, beads of light flew to the disc and the woman smiled encouragingly. Allen Walker, who had some weird device over his left eye, turned to the other exorcists. It seemed that he had somehow become their leader in between the moment Sebastian had last seen him and the current time.

'Everybody, please remember: together we are invincible,' he said in a clear and loud voice and Sebastian could hear that he believed in his own words. The demon glanced at the hordes of demons circling around the mansion. How could that kid believe in victory even now? He smirked and turned to his young master, who was standing next to the woman with the disc.

'I think it is time to begin, my lord,' he said with a bow. Ciel raised his head a fraction, looking at him imperiously. The demon always found that expression endearing and he allowed himself a small, indulgent smile. His young master was ripe for degustation, he thought, a pleasant chill going down his spine at the very thought.

'I will stay here and protect Miranda and the boy,' said an older man with wild hair, before turning to Kanda and Marie, ignoring Ciel's outraged expression completely. 'You both better come safe and sound to me,' he told them, to which Kanda scoffed and Marie smiled a patient kind of smile.

'We will do our best, master,' the blind man said politely. Sebastian didn't miss the title, but there was no time to waste on finding the reasons behind it. Marie turned to him. 'You want to fight Noah together with Kanda, don't you?' he asked.

'That is my aim tonight,' Sebastian confirmed, amazed at how smooth it would be to put his master's wish into motion. All he needed to was to find Lulubell and make sure that she was dead.

'I will escort you into the mansion, because while Noah are human, demons could kill you by accident,' the man said smoothly. Amused, Sebastian agreed, not missing the scowl on Kanda's face.

'Don't you dare endangering your life for either of us,' he hissed so quietly that only Marie and Sebastian could have possibly heard him. 'That butler will be fine on his own anyway, you are the one who can get killed,' he added, earning a reproachful expression from the blind man.

It was an interesting thing to note that Kanda did care about his comrades, despite having the soul overflowing with hate and anger. Sebastian smirked at the man and assured him that he would be doing his best to not put anybody in danger. Vaguely, he heard the others sharing tasks.

The Bookman's apprentice would try and hunt down the Noah of dreams, while the ones called generals would take on the main of the demon army to clear the passage. It seemed like the Order had given Tykki to Kanda without even the smallest hint on his side, because it appeared that Kanda had already fought the man briefly. Lenalee and a vampire-like exorcist would accompany Allen. He noted that nobody said what Allen Walker would do, so he asked. The white-haired boy smiled grimly.

'My task has been chosen for me years ago,' he said in a serious tone. 'Please don't worry about me. Rather focus on your own task,' he added. Sebastian nodded, curiosity piqued.

'He's going after the Millennium Earl,' Kanda informed him emotionlessly, before he could ask, and Sebastian couldn't help thinking that he did it only to see his reaction. He hoped that the sudden stiffening of his muscles, that lasted only a split of a second, hadn't been visible. After all, why would he care about his brother?

'I see,' he said slowly, not missing how Kanda's eyes were narrowed. 'Shall we get going?' he asked, looking away from the swordsman and towards the group of exorcists, all of whom were wearing determined expressions. What a waste of life, he thought, watching them nod in agreement. Allen smiled at everybody encouragingly and wished everybody good luck, getting many wishes of good luck back and a scoff from Kanda.

As the exorcists spread out into different directions, Sebastian wondered who would be the one walking alive out of the situation. The Order sure came prepared, but then the sheer number of their enemy could be their doom. He hadn't thought that his brother could call up quite so many demons.

'Follow me,' he said to Kanda, knowing that the blind man would go with them. Not that there was anything to fear - lesser demons would give them free passage and fun would only begin when they met the Noah. Wordlessly, the swordsman and their blind guardian followed his lead.

Close to them, a general with long, red hair stopped and aimed a gun at the crowd of demons, saying that he will draw them away from the mansion a bit. Sebastian was impressed by his self-confidence, but he said nothing. Somewhere to the west, explosions started, meaning that some of the exorcists had met their targets, or some demons met theirs. Sebastian continued without the slightest hesitation, ignoring the sounds of the battle.

'It's like they're avoiding us,' the blind man muttered when they had reached the mansion unscratched. Sebastian smirked, ignoring Kanda's glare.

'Even they are avoiding the greater evil,' the Japanese muttered, following Sebastian through the main door. The demon chuckled, knowing that the comment was aimed at him. For somebody who wanted him to eat a part of his soul, even if that had been a passing fancy, Kanda sure was unfriendly.

'Don't say things like that, Kanda,' Marie replied from behind Sebastian. The demon wondered what the man understood from Kanda's words, however, a new voice disturbed him before he had time to consider it.

'Why aren't those our dear, exorcist pets?' asked a tempting looking female, standing in a doorway where, Sebastian was sure, there had been nobody moments ago. He stopped and looked at her, even as a man with dark, wavy hair appeared behind and smirked.

'I see you came for round two,' the man said and Sebastian realised that he was looking at Kanda, who didn't hesitate at all to charge at the man. Marie shouted something about being careful, but Sebastian was sure that it fell on deaf ears as the Japanese slashed viciously, barely avoiding the Noah's attacks. After his comment, it was safe to say that the Noah was Tykki Mikk, so Sebastian turned to the woman.

'You wouldn't happen to be Lulubell, would you, madame?' he asked in a polite tone, letting his voice be coloured with a little bit of curiosity and absolutely no fear. The woman narrowed her eyes at him. She certainly looked more lustful than Earl Charles Grey, Sebastian thought with a mental smirk.

'Who are you? You have no Innocence on you,' she asked, taking a defensive stance as Sebastian laughed.

'Oh no, there is nothing innocent about me,' he said in a purring tone, taking one smooth step closer to her. 'I am the one who was called that cold, bloody night. I'm sure your brother Tykki Mikk told you about it,' he added, wanting her to know why she was going to die. With any luck, the other Noah would also realise.

She gasped and yelled for help, but the only one who could hear her was busy avoiding a deadly katana. Her shout seemed to have distracted him enough for Kanda to land a blow, nearly slicing his arm in half to the sound of his outraged scream. Laughing, Sebastian allowed himself to change into the shape that Tykki would recognise.

'Fuck, it's that demon, Lulubell,' the man exclaimed over Sebastian's laughter. Kanda yelled at Marie to leave and the Noah took the opportunity of him being distracted to drive his weapon through the man's abdomen. Apparently fear made him a better fighter, Sebastian noted absently.

'Kanda,' Marie exclaimed worriedly, hearing his friend cough and gasp. He was going to run up to him when Tykki threw Kanda onto the floor, but the Japanese told him to leave again and, surprisingly enough, the blind man listened. As he turned to leave, Kanda got up and informed Tykki that he was going to have to up his game if he wanted to leave the room alive. The demon quite enjoyed the expression on the Noah's face.

Lulubell morphed into a hilarious sort of creature and charged at Sebastian. It was almost boring, the demon thought, dodging her attack and countering it with a handful of forks that flew straight into her back. He had gone back to being a butler to have at least a semblance of challenge.

Next to him, the katana clashed with the Noah's weapon, blow after blow going so fast that even Sebastian was impressed.

'Don't look away, demon,' Lulubell hissed and charged again, having changed forms again. One of her tentacle-like appendages grazed Sebastian's uniform, so he cut it off in retaliation.

The Noah howled in pain.

})i({

Closing his eyes, Lavi willed himself to fall asleep, knowing that the temptation would be too strong for Road Kamelot. He was well protected within Miranda's little time ball and with Tiedoll standing guard just for him, Miranda and the Earl of Phantomhive. Physically he was as safe as he could be, as opposed to all his friends who were out there, charging into the violent battle with the demons and Noah.

When he found himself in the headquarters of the Black Order, he wasn't exactly surprised.

'Will you give me a tour?' asked an innocent voice and he turned to see Road Kamelot, smiling at him and looking disturbingly like an innocent girl. He glared at her, but she just giggled and grabbed his hand.

'I know what you came here for,' she admitted candidly, looking right into his face with that innocent expression. He looked down at her wordlessly, wondering if she was herself in this dreamscape or if she was hidden somewhere else.

'Yet you show yourself so easily,' he replied, deciding to take a walk. If there would be an element of decoration that stayed constant, he could think it was the real Road. The girl holding his hand giggled.

'Will you show me the headquarters? Can I see Allen's bedroom?' she asked. Just in case, Lavi imagined that he had a large dagger in his pocket and, because it was his dream, the dagger appeared. 'You know, I could take you out of your dream and into mine,' Road pointed out.

'Why won't you?' he asked.

'Because it's more fun to see you try and figure me out,' she replied promptly. 'And eventually, I'll make you so enthralled in your own dream that you will forget to breathe and die,' she added, her tone not changing the slightest bit from the cheerful one she had been using before. In any case, he wasn't going to repeat the episode from the Arc and now he knew what he had to do. At the first sign of trouble, he would kill himself and get out of the dream to try again later.

'What makes you think I will let you?' he asked, leading her towards one of the empty rooms. On the way she informed him that Tykki would be killing the one who had killed Skin Boric, while the Earl himself would take care of the Fourteenth. He told her that it she would be dying anyway.

He looked around, not seeing anything that would be constant except himself and her. With a frown, he focused on changing the décor completely. Much to his surprise, Road disappeared as well. What the hell? She must be somewhere here, he thought, looking around to make sure that nothing remained constant between one room and the other. There was nothing.

Suddenly, he heard the girl's laughter and he looked around wildly. She was not there. The laughter was echoing in his head, he realised and understood Road's cruel joke. She has taken his form in this dream, hidden herself in him and thus made him not exactly a dream. If he stabbed himself in the heart, like he had done in the Arc, she would die doubtlessly. However, would he wake up? Her laughter was mocking him, daring him to give it a try, so he supposed that he was not going to get out of that unscratched.

'You're not going to stab yourself, Bookman junior, are you?' she asked, her voice echoing in his head. 'I wouldn't try it if I was you, to be honest, because I have no idea what will happen to your body.'

'I will force you out,' he replied through gritted teeth, willing the decorations to change, willing his own appearance to change, but the laughter still echoed in his head.

'Nothing you do can force me out of you,' Road informed him in a sweet voice. 'Quite frankly, I don't think I'll have the strength to materialise in any other way in your dream, this is taking quite a toll on me,' she added. He filed that information for later, wondering if she would exhaust herself to the point where a stab wound would kill her.

Once again, he willed the decorations to change, willing his own appearance back to normal. A chill went down his spine when he noticed that his clothes changed as well, even though he didn't wish for them to.

'I thought you would look cuter in a suit,' Road said. Could she be gaining power over his own dream?

})i({

Allen truly wished that he had been allowed to go alone, but everybody had been stubborn upon the fact that the Millennium Earl was too strong. They had decided that, at the very least, Allen should arrive well rested and thus should have an escort. From that decision it was only a matter of seconds till Lenalee and Crowley volunteered to go with him. Komui had tried to veto the idea at that point, but it hadn't worked.

'At the first sign of real trouble, you guys fall back,' Allen ordered, after Crowley sucked a demon dry and laughed in a truly demonic way. Lenalee smiled at him cutely and punched a demon that was just behind him without a pause in between.

Allen didn't even bother to look behind, rather focusing on hacking away the demon that threatened to decapitate Lenalee. In the flurry of demons coming from all directions, his left eye was useless. It had activated as soon as they had been in the vicinity of the castle and it remained active wherever he looked, always finding a target, once they moved in.

'I think the Earl will be inside,' Crowley commented, nodding towards the mansion. 'Together with the Noah, he will probably be hiding behind the lines of the demons,' he added with disdain.

'Hopefully his Noah are all busy by now,' Lenalee muttered as they ran towards the mansion, stopping to kill demons every once in a while. Allen allowed himself just a moment of thought for the ones designated to fight the Noah, hoping that they were doing well in the face of such a terrible enemy.

'I'll clear the way for you kids,' yelled general Klaud Nine, somehow arriving next to them. Allen thought that it meant the demons in the outer perimeter had been taken care of and he allowed himself more hope for the outcome of this battle. Lenalee thanked her and ducked when the general's Innocence flew above their heads.

Running madly, they made it into the mansion, where the corridors were empty and only the constant clinking of swords echoed.

'Right,' Allen muttered, forcing himself to look away from the sound, nearly running into a demon caught in Marie's strings. He thanked the man and went his way, not wanting to lose any more time. He wished there was a way to lose Lenalee and Crowley, who followed him faithfully, but the corridors were not nearly winding enough and it took them no time to find themselves in the presence of the Millennium Earl and Road Kamelot.

'Why if it isn't my dear Allen,' the Earl said with a cackling laugh. The girl at his side grinned widely and threw herself at Allen, hugging him as though they were best friends.

'I knew that if I wait here you would come,' she whispered into his ear and Allen couldn't quite bring himself to push her away. Lenalee glared at the girl's head, seeming ready to jump and kick Road into the farthest wall.

'Get off him, you demon spawn,' Crowley hissed, also looking ready to attack. Road pulled away a bit, but kept her fingers entwined behind Allen's neck. She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out of her mouth, only blood. Shock coloured her face as she let go of Allen and cradled her bleeding chest.

'Yes,' Lenalee exclaimed, when the girl crumbled to the ground in front of Allen. The Earl looked on as though he didn't understand what was happening.

'Lavi succeeded,' Crowley enthused. At Allen's feet, Road twitched and stilled, eyes glazed over, face frozen in that shocked expression. It was as though she had never expected to die, even though she took part in such a vicious war. Allen couldn't explain why that image made tears well in his eyes.

Road was the enemy, he tried to tell himself, as an insolent tear trailed down his cheek.


	13. Together we are invincible

**Guest: it has been my original idea… Sort of… But I got persuaded otherwise.**

**Title from Muse's "Invincible".**

* * *

**Ch. 13: Together we are invincible**

Allen wiped the treacherous tears away, hoping that neither Lenalee nor Crowley had noticed them. He had known that there was no other way: Road was an enemy and a dangerous one at that. If she had survived that night, it would probably mean the death of Lavi and although Allen found himself caring for the girl, the Bookman's apprentice was his best friend. There was no other way, he thought.

With grim determination, he drew his sword, promising himself that her death would not be for nothing: the war was going to end that night.

'To think, my dear Fourteenth, that we agree on one thing,' the Earl said, getting Allen's attention. With some surprise, the exorcist noticed the tears trailing down the Earl's face. 'You exorcist bastards will pay for my cute Road,' the Earl added, drawing the sword that was the inverse of Allen's. The latter readied himself for the attack.

He failed to consider that the Earl would aim at anybody else, having almost forgotten that he was not alone. Thus, when the Earl charged at Lenalee, all he could do was run and hope that he would get there on time.

When his sword collided with something solid, he opened his eyes, which he hadn't realised he had closed before, to see the two enormous swords locked together. Behind him, Lenalee was gasping for air, recovering from the shock that had rendered her immobile when the Earl had attacked.

'Lenalee, Crowley, get out of here and make sure that no demons disturb us,' he ordered through gritted teeth. For a fluffy, weird creature, the Earl sure had loads of strength, he thought, putting all his force in repelling the sword.

'We cannot leave you alone,' Lenalee protested hotly as Allen finally managed to push the Earl away. He stood there, sword at the ready, panting from the effort, as the fluffy creature bounced against the wall with a creepy laugh.

'You have truly loyal friends, Fourteenth,' the Earl cackled.

'Please, go,' Allen insisted, afraid to look away from his opponent for even a second.

'As if we would leave you,' Crowley exclaimed and jumped upon the enemy, only to get slashed across his chest. With some horror, Allen watched blood soak Crowley's uniform, even as the circle of Miranda's Time Record span around him.

'How long can your pathetic friend keep repelling the time?' the Earl cackled. 'Can she fight as well? Can I send demons there?'

'Damn you,' Allen growled and charged. The Earl parried his blow with surprising grace and countered it with an attack. Allen blocked the blade and pushed the opponent away again, more viciously this time. They exchanged a couple of fast blows, resulting in a cut on Allen's arm and the Earl losing his hat.

The cut healed, thanks to the Time Record, leaving only a torn sleeve and a stain of blood. For a moment, Allen thought that it must be amazing to be Kanda and have that kind of ability all the time. Hopefully Lavi would be awake now and would help Tiedoll to protect Miranda, so that her Innocence would allow him to heal throughout that battle.

Lenalee and Crowley jumped at the Earl from two sides, each landing a blow before the master of evil slashed at them with his sword. Allen took the opportunity of his distraction to cut at him, slicing through the fat body deeply.

The Earl laughed, disappointingly, not bleeding all that much as he suddenly morphed into a being of shadows and fire. His laugher changed pitch, echoing in the room threateningly.

'You want a piece of me, Allen Walker?' the new creature asked, its voice low and angry. Was that behind the ridiculous mask all that time? He would lie if he said that he wasn't suddenly afraid. 'The time of games is over, you pathetic human.'

'Allen, this-' Lenalee didn't have the chance to finish, because the shadowy creature charged at her and only because Allen and Crowley both attacked, she managed to get away.

Allen barely parried a shadowy blade that came out of nowhere, too fast for him to properly register the motion. The creature attacked with a snarl and would have gotten him, if not for a huge hammer suddenly smashing into what must have been the thing's face. It howled in pain, retreating a bit.

'This looks like a mess,' said Lavi and Allen turned to grin at him. However, his expression rapidly faded, when he took in the stain of blood on Lavi's uniform. 'It seems to dislike Innocence though, so we can get it,' the Bookman's apprentice added.

Before Allen could ask Lavi about the blood stain, Lenalee screamed, thrown across the room and colliding with the wall with a sickening crack of broken bones. Crowley caught her before she hit the floor while Allen, to distract the shadowy monster, slashed at it with his sword, earning another howl of pain. Lavi slammed his hammer again, but the shadows avoided it, retaliating against both of them with such as speed that the only thing they could do was to put their Innocence in front to protect themselves from the blow.

The shadows howled in pain.

It seemed like the Millennium Earl really didn't like Innocence. Empowered with that knowledge, Allen charged again, slashing blindly to just land a blow. With the corner of his eye, he saw Lavi doing the same and, on the other side of the room, Lenalee and Crowley, joining into the chaos.

He felt pain in his arm again, but it faded away quickly. He swung the blade at the shadows. A burning feeling around his thigh made him yell in pain, but the adrenaline allowed him to ignore it and continue the mindless assault. Screams told him that the others were also getting hit, but it didn't matter, because the shadows seemed to be getting slower.

Eventually Allen realised that he was hacking away at nothing and he stopped, looking at his companions. Tired, their clothes torn and bloodied, they smiled at him and he realised that they had defeated the Millennium Earl. He had a feeling that the information didn't sink properly, but there was no time to digest it for the moment.

'Let's go on,' he said. 'Road and the Earl are gone, but we need to make sure that the other Noah are also dead,' he added, trying his best to ignore the sting of pain in his heart when his eyes found Road's body.

'I like your way of thinking,' Lavi agreed with a smile, but Allen could see that it was fake. He looked at the blood stain on his friend's uniform and opened his mouth. 'I think Kanda and that butler are nearby. Maybe they need help,' Lavi added, too fast for it to be a coincidence, stopping Allen from speaking. There was a steely glint of determination in his green eye and Allen realised that they had to do their best with the time they had. Their sacrifices couldn't be for nothing.

})i({

Fighting a Noah was a difficult task, Kanda knew that from experience. His duel with Skin Boric had very nearly cost him his life, even if he would never admit it out loud. Tykki was better, even when he restrained himself from using the carnivore butterflies.

Panting heavily, he held Mugen in defensive position, watching the moves of his opponent. With the corner of his eye, he could see the shadows and flames engulfing a hideous, ten-armed creature, but he paid them no more attention than necessary to avoid stray blows.

'Tired already?' Tykki mocked, but Kanda could see that the Noah was also breathing heavily and not attacking for the moment. He allowed himself a mocking smirk, knowing that the Noah would see it and know that Kanda could see his weariness.

'Why? Do you need an excuse to take a break?' he asked back when he was sure that his voice would not betray his fatigue. Immediately after the wound Tykki had inflicted had healed, Kanda had gone up to the Third Illusion, expecting everything less powerful to be useless. Consequently, the numerous cuts he sustained were healing slower, slowing down his movements. For the moment it wasn't much, but he knew that he couldn't allow this duel to last long.

At least he had matched the Noah blow for blow, he thought grimly, and his opponent was sporting more less the same number of cuts of various importance. Tykki's blows had also slowed down as they had fought. Now the only thing he needed was to finish the Noah off.

'No, I want it over fast, exorcist,' Tykki replied after they had circled each other in silence for a minute or two. Kanda narrowed his eyes at the man.

'As you wish,' he muttered. 'Mugen, Fourth Illusion,' he whispered to his katana, feeling a wave of cold roll over him. Now he really needed to get the duel done and over with, he thought, changing his stance from defensive to offensive. Tykki laughed and readied himself to parry Kanda's blows.

They clashed and jumped apart, but he didn't give Tykki any time to recover, immediately charging again, pushing the man back with a series of fast blows, forcing him into defence. He only relented when Mugen cut Tykki's arm away.

'You bastard,' the Noah hissed, his words tightly laced with pain as he held the bleeding stub with his other hand. Kanda ignored him and prepared the next blow, too late noticing a single butterfly that appeared next to the Noah. He was going too fast to stop on time and he risked losing his chance.

The Noah grabbed the butterfly in his hand as Kanda raised his arm, ready to strike. As he swung Mugen, Noah's hand went through his body, somewhere where his lungs were. As he decapitated the Noah, pain erupted in his lungs, tearing a pain-filled scream from his lips: the carnivore butterfly.

Without hesitation, Kanda aimed Mugen towards the centre of the pain and stabbed, before the butterfly could move. He vaguely heard Marie's outraged scream, before strong arms caught him mid-fall. His vision blurred and it was difficult to breathe. Had Mugen deactivated?

'Take,' he gasped and coughed up blood. 'It out,' he finished, nearly out of breath. Marie, or the blurred shadow that Kanda had assumed to be Marie, took Mugen out of his body without hesitation. 'No,' he whispered. 'The butterfly.'

'The butterfly?' Marie repeated, but before he could answer, Kanda blinked and when he opened his eyes again, he was laying on the floor, Sebastian leaning over him, bandaging his chest.

'What-' he started and winced as pain registered.

'You've managed to kill Tykki,' the demon said smoothly. 'Thank you,' he added. Kanda took in the demon's tattered and bloodied tailcoat.

'Next time though, think twice before stabbing yourself through your lung,' Marie added and Kanda turned his head to the other side, to look at his friend. The blind man looked to be unscratched, but the tears in his uniform told a different story. Miranda still hadn't released her spell, he thought.

'The butterfly,' Kanda muttered. 'It would have eaten me from the inside otherwise,' he added, when he saw Marie's glance. With a breath as deep as he could manage, he moved to get up. Rather than stopping him, Sebastian helped him and steadied him when he was standing. Kanda was grateful, because the stupid beansprout and rabbit chose that moment to barge into the room, bloodied and bloodthirsty.

He saw Allen look from him to the dead butterfly on the floor, paling visibly. Lavi also seemed to catch up with the situation and looked at him worriedly. Kanda scoffed, wishing that he had his uniform back on, so that nobody would see the bandages, especially since all the others were healed for the moment.

'We did it,' Lenalee exclaimed from behind the two guys. She didn't seem to notice the butterfly yet. 'We killed the Earl,' she added, her expression becoming more serious when she took in Kanda's state.

Because Sebastian was still holding him, Kanda felt the demon tense up for a split of a second. He had no strength to glare at him though, only numbly thinking that it had really been a trap. He wondered if what he had overheard in the manor was true and the Earl was Sebastian's brother.

'Lavi got Road as well,' Crowley added cheerfully. Kanda didn't miss the flicker of emotion that crossed Allen's face so fast that it had almost been invisible. He couldn't identify the emotion though. 'It seems that you got Tykki,' the vampire added.

'And Sebastian got Lulubell,' Marie informed them. 'I have been listening to the reports through golems. It seems that all the Noah are eliminated now and with the Earl also gone,' his friend trailed off.

Kanda didn't need him to say more, he could finish the thought himself: the bloody war was over. Finishing off the remaining demons was just a matter of time and with nobody there to make more, the Order would be rendered redundant shortly. He would be rendered redundant shortly, he amended bitterly.

'Let's go back to Miranda,' Allen suggested, sounding as though he didn't quite believe in the reality they were facing. 'There're sure many wounded and I can make an Arc gate to the headquarters there, so the science guys and the Finders can take care of us,' he added. What would happen to all the exorcists? What would become of the scientists? Kanda wasn't sure he wanted to know the answers to those questions.

Marie handed him Mugen and he sheathed the blade in a fluent, graceful move, hissing when the motion pulled at the wound in his chest. With any luck, it would heal by the time they reached the others, he thought. Sebastian let go of him, but stayed close, as though he cared whether Kanda fell or not.

The others killed whatever demons neared them on the way, but there weren't many. Instead, burned and destroyed trees and scorched ground welcomed them as they left the mansion. When they were far enough, Lavi, with an evil smirk, made his hammer grow into insane proportions and smashed the mansion into pieces. Kanda thought that Allen looked like he was going to cry for some reason, so he looked away. Emotions were not his forte.

He kept stubbornly looking away, standing on the side, when they arrived to where Miranda was, crumbled on the ground and breathing shallowly. They would see now how many really survived this ordeal and he didn't want to be there when the survivors would look at the ones who were dead.

Marie went to Miranda, helping her up gently, while Allen opened the Arc gate, saying that he better do it now or he risks having them stranded. Almost immediately, Komui rushed through, finding Lenalee and asking whether she had been hurt.

It was now or never, Kanda thought, realising that Sebastian came to stand next to him after having made sure that his young master was alright. Ciel had also gone to stand away from the exorcists, he noted absent-mindedly.

'It's time to let go, Miranda,' Kanda heard Marie say softly. The woman in Marie's arms sobbed, as though she knew exactly what would happen once she returned the time to its rightful course. Maybe she did, Kanda thought, not really envying her the power she held.

'Will you make me mortal?' he asked quietly, knowing that Sebastian would hear him. The demon had extraordinary sense of hearing and everybody else would be too distracted to pay attention, he hoped.

'Now?' he asked. 'What about that gaping hole in your lung?'

'It's gone,' Kanda lied. He didn't want to have to explain himself to the demon and he certainly didn't want to have anybody get the wind of what he planned before it was too late to stop him. He didn't want to face Lvellie either and he knew that the man would be through the gate soon, to see the victory for himself.

Miranda's Innocence erupted with light and, when the darkness returned, many exorcists fell to the ground. Komui howled when Lenalee went limp in his arms and Miranda sobbed over Marie's fallen form. Kanda felt a sting of fear.

'Very well then, if that is your wish,' Sebastian said, distracting Kanda from the worry for his friend. A gentle hand on his shoulder firmly turned him to face the demon, while another hand under his chin forced him to look up into the fiery eyes. It was so annoying that the demon was taller than-

He never finished that thought because the demon leaned in and soft lips collided with his. His eyes opened wide as his brain registered the demon kissing him, however, no sooner than that thought crossed his brain, a new pain made him gasp into the kiss.

It felt like something was ripped out of him. He wanted to scream, but Sebastian held him tightly. Tears of pain welled in his eyes and he thought he was going to faint, when the demon suddenly pulled away, his arms the only thing holding Kanda upright as he breathed deeply.

'What the hell,' he muttered when the pain subsided. He didn't feel any different, so could he trust the demon? He supposed there was only one way to find out and, glancing at his distracted comrades, he decided that now was the time to find out.

Only Ciel looked at them, a frown on his childish face. The exorcists were too busy reporting their injuries to the science team to notice anything off. Kanda glanced in their direction again, relieved to see that Marie was alive, being helped up by one of the Finders. Miranda was being supported by somebody as well, on her way towards the gate. Next to them, Lavi was unconscious and tended to by Bak Chan. Judging by the reactions of the people around, Crowley was dead. Not that Kanda expected anything else, having seen the state of his uniform before. Lenalee was being put on a stretcher gently, Komui a tearful mess but not despairing enough for her to be dead, unlike many others, whose names Kanda didn't even know.

Taking them all in, Kanda breathed in deeply and looked away from the heart-breaking scene. He stepped away from the demon, satisfied to notice that he was feeling well, minus a slight difficulty in breathing. He unsheathed Mugen in a graceful motion. The demon raised an eyebrow at him.

'Mugen, Sixth Illusion,' he said and pointed the gleaming blade at Sebastian's throat. The demon laughed.


	14. It was a mistake imprisoning my soul

**Guest: I just did :P**

**Yaoifangirl: I couldn't help myself, yeah… but that's as far as it gets, sorry ;)**

**So, since this is the last chapter of this story, I thought I can make a bit of self-advertising. I started writing another story about D gray man (read: Kanda), this time a sorta romance, if you're interested *hint,hint*: fanfiction net / s / 9779772 / 1 / (called "Stolen season").**

**Title from Muse's "Explorers".**

* * *

**Ch. 14: It was a mistake imprisoning my soul**

Sebastian danced away from the blade gracefully. He had only once made the mistake of underestimating it. He supposed he would forever have a scar across his torso, no matter what form he would take, to remind him of that mistake. Whatever the "sixth illusion" was, it made the wound he had gotten from Kanda on their first meeting seem like a mere scratch in comparison.

Thankfully he had just consumed a part of the exorcist's soul, gaining strength. Otherwise, the diagonal slash across his torso could have been a serious problem. Thankfully his clothes were already torn and bloodied, so he could maybe hide the fact that Innocence had hurt him.

As soon as Kanda had attacked Sebastian, the blind man had turned their way and called his friend's name, drawing unneeded attention to the impromptu duel. Weeping and conversations ceased as everybody who was conscious looked on. A couple of people had shouted in protest, but nobody had dared coming close enough to stop them. Sebastian didn't doubt that, once he was done, they wouldn't just be watching.

He blocked another attack, not missing how the rasping sound of Kanda's breathing intensified, betraying the deteriorating condition of his wounded lung. He knew that the exorcist wouldn't manage to keep up their pace for long now, so it was the time to end the duel. It would not do to have the other exorcists see their friend exhausted.

With his habitual grace, the demon dove under the next attack, barely missing the deadly, gleaming blade. With one hand, he grabbed Kanda's shoulder, with the other, the stabbed the exorcist up under the ribs, making sure to reach his heart. Kanda gasped, as though he was surprised more than hurting.

'Sleep well, Yu,' Sebastian whispered as the dark eyes glazed over. Withdrawing the knife, he let the lifeless body fall to the ground with a dull thud, the katana clattering loudly as it fell. He was vaguely aware of the shocked spectators, staring at the scene wide-eyed and temporarily frozen.

'Yu!' a happy, childish voice called behind him and Sebastian twitched, sure that there hadn't been any children around, except for Ciel who was certainly not shouting like that. A ghost-boy, aged no more than eleven, passed through him, stopping just next to the body. He breathed a sigh of relief, realising that he had been waiting for a Death God instead and happy that there was none.

'Yu, are you there? I've been waiting for so long,' the ghost said, uncertainty clouding the joy. Sebastian stepped to the side, to see the boy's face. Was that Alma? He couldn't see any other explanation.

'Always so loud,' replied a younger version of the grumpy voice Sebastian knew and the demon looked at the other ghost, sitting on the floor, where the body was. It was doubtlessly Kanda, aged ten most probably, his dark eyes already filled with anger but not quite as hateful yet. The first ghost-boy laughed and pulled the other up and into a hug, which the young Yu responded to after a moment, smiling slightly.

'Come Yu, I'll show you somewhere nice,' the one who must have been Alma said excitedly, pulling away from the hug and grabbing Yu's hand. Their voices and figures faded away as they walked away and, for a moment, Sebastian thought he could see lotus flowers covering the ground where the two ghosts had walked.

'Why did you do that?' somebody screamed and Sebastian's attention was diverted to the exorcists who seemed to be slowly overcoming their shock. Had they seen the two ghosts or was it just him? He tried to identify the one who had shouted, but there were dozen candidates.

'I did what Kanda had asked me to do,' the demon replied calmly, looking from one exorcist to another. 'He wished to die like that,' he added, mentally scowling at the fact that he was explaining himself to them. He almost regretted taking Kanda's challenge.

'It's not like he's going to die from a wound like that,' Allen pointed out angrily, looking like he was going to draw his weapon. 'Why would he want to be killed by you anyway?'

'Allen,' Marie whispered, a pained expression on his face. 'I think Kanda might really be dead,' he said. 'His heart should have restarted by now.'

'What?' the one who had been tending to Lavi the Bookman exclaimed, sounding genuinely dismayed. He abandoned the unconscious man to drop onto his knees next to the fallen Japanese, checking for pulse with shaking hands. When he hadn't found any, his eyes filled with angry tears and he glared at Sebastian. 'What the hell have you done to him?' he yelled.

Some of the exorcists exchanged glances and shocked whispers. One or two of the ones called "finders" looked almost happy. The man who had asked Kanda and Marie to come back safe ran up to the body, kneeling on the other side, crying openly. Marie turned away from the scene, even though he couldn't see it. The woman with the disc came back to hug him, sobbing.

'Why would Kanda want to die?' Allen asked, chocking on his tears, looking at Sebastian as though the demon would answer. 'We won, damn it, we won this war to be able to live. Even he-' the boy never finished, sobbing loudly and turning towards the body. Sebastian thought he could hear him choke out something that sounded like "stupid Kanda, as though Road hadn't been enough", before the boy also collapsed to his knees.

Sebastian said nothing more, turning away from the grieving group. Ultimately, the demon didn't know why Kanda wanted to die, although he supposed it had a lot to do with his almost-immortality and with Alma. Somehow, Kanda looked strangely peaceful in death, but the others didn't seem to notice.

Nobody paid him any more attention, as he went up to his little master, who was scowling angrily at the scene. Sebastian allowed himself a little, indulgent smile as he bowed in front of his master.

'You've gone soft, demon,' Ciel said distastefully. 'If you try any of your pity on me, you will regret it,' he added.

'Do not worry, young master,' Sebastian said, letting irony colour his words. 'Tykki Mikk and Lulubell, along with all the other Noah and the Millennium Earl are gone, my lord,' he reported in his usual, polite tone. 'We can remove the Queen on our way to the final destination,' he added.

'Very well,' Ciel commented tonelessly. 'This farce has taken long enough as it is,' he added, turning away halfway, before he froze and looked back at the demon. A smirk twisted his lips and he removed the eye-patch. 'Oh, and Sebastian, leave the Black Order alone,' he ordered, his violet eye gleaming momentarily.

'Yes, my lord,' Sebastian said with a bow that hid both his irritation and his amusement. Who was the one having gone soft again, he wondered. However, it would be inappropriate for the butler to voice such a thought. Undisturbed and unheeded, they left.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and commenting and faving! It really means a lot to me to get comments/favs (so if you've been lurking around, don't be shy and let me know if you've enjoyed the story! Or if you have some constructive criticism, or just comments!).**


End file.
